Civilians
by JScribz
Summary: The world is finally at peace, the Justice League is no longer needed and superheroes are forced to retire to living normal lives as civilians. As time goes by, friendships fade and everyone has their own independent lives. But what happens if somewhere down the line you're reunited and realize that some things never really fade? AU BM/WW Bruce/Diana.
1. Chapter 1

Hi All, it's been a really long time since I've written anything, but I'm back with a new fic. I'm still trying to get back into Master Commander, but for now give this one a try and let me know what you think. It's AU with BM/WW Pairing. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

" **Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future."**

-Fulton Oursler

* * *

Lower East Side – New York

She squinted her eyes as she raised her hand up to the sun to block the light. It was an unusually hot day in Themyscira, the clouds had retreated and left the Amazon's vulnerable to the torturous rays. Diana reached around to her back and sought out her canteen, her throat felt constricted as the moisture started to evaporate from her very lips. As her fingers wrapped around her canteen, she felt something cold crawl up her arm. Diana gasped as she realized they were someone's fingers and quickly withdrew her hand, but the fingers clung to her tightly and held her hand there. The princess tried to turn her head to glance at the intruder, but the cold began to take over all her senses. Her neck, once burning, was now infested with icicles; her azure eyes, glazed over with frost; and her lips became embossed with crystals as she cried out in the fainted voice, "Bru-".

Diana jolted out of bed, warm droplets of sweat clinging onto every inch of her body. She shook in anxiety as she felt the cold air from her dream leave her body with every rapid breath she took. She felt a hand reach out to her back and she flinched instinctively.

"Hey, you okay?" a deep raspy voice called out to her as the bedside lamp was switched on to the dimmest setting. Diana turned slightly, seeking out his steel blue eyes, but instead she was met emerald ones.

"Yeah, sorry… I just had a bad dream that's all," she lowered her eyes, slightly ashamed at herself. She couldn't bear to look at her fiancé in the eyes, especially not after her dream. The blanket shuffled as Tom moved himself closer to his fiancée. He reached out and gently rubbed her arms as he pulled her into his arms.

"It's only a dream baby, I'm here for you," He gave her arm a tight squeeze, "What was it about?"

She turned her gaze to him and gave a halfhearted grin, "I wish I could tell you, I don't really remember it,"

Tom chuckled as he planted a light kiss on her cheek, "see? It's just a dream. C'mon let's go back to sleep, we both have work tomorrow,"

He pulled her back down into the bed with him as he wrapped his arms protectively around her. It only took a few seconds before Diana heard him start to snore lightly. She wrapped her fingers around his forearm and gave it a tight squeeze before tightly closing her eyes and biting back the tears.

* * *

-4 hours later-

"I'll see you later?" Tom called out to Diana as he grabbed his briefcase and thermos from the table, "I'm not sure if I can make it for dinner tonight, but I'll try my best,"

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Diana replied as she walked up to him with a smile. She patted down his suit collar as she gave him a light kiss on the lips, "I'll be okay on my own, don't worry"

"Me? Worry?! Don't be silly babe, I'm never worried, especially not when it comes to you," he replied sarcastically, "But seriously, it's like you're some kind of super woman, I never have to worry about you,"

Diana sheepishly grinned as she inwardly cringed, if only he knew that he hit the nail on the head with that one.

"Bye!" He waved with his thermos in his hand as he walked out the apartment door.

Diana closed the door and leaned her back against it as she sighed, the day had just begun but she was already so exhausted. A few minutes earlier, the firm had sent out a message to all their employees that they would be closed for a few days due to a large project that was in the works. Diana wasn't sure what it was, but she assumed it was a merger since smaller law offices had them pretty often nowadays. Crime was at an all-time low, there were strict rules and regulations, it also helped that Lex Luthor had successfully constructed a device that would disable meta-human powers and Dr Fate had created an anti-magic bubble. Though the cost of peace was not cheap, it was well worth it. She admits that she misses the world of superheroes and missions, but she was finally able to settle down like a normal civilian. The ability to work a normal job and get engaged was a luxury she never had as Wonder Woman. But she couldn't help but miss the team, the friendships and relationships she had with her fellow heroes. Nowadays, they all live their own lives like normal people, and just like normal people, they started to fade away from one another over time. Perhaps the sacrifices were greater than she initially expected.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Diana's head. Maybe she would reach out to an old colleague and do some catching up. She scurried to her room and grabbed her phone from the night stand before laying down on her bed. Scrolling through her contact list, she began to think of small moments she had with all the people she hadn't been in contact with. Dinah, Ollie, Barry, Arthur, the list went on and on. She couldn't decide who she should reach out to so she pulled her finger straight down the list so it rolled down on it's own, she closed her eyes and plopped her finger back down on her phone screen, and selected a random candidate. The contact card that opened up read, "Billy Batson". She immediately shook her head as she clicked back and spun the list once more.

"This one," She declared as she placed her finger back on the phone screen. This time the name of the contact card was blocked by her hand. She lifted her finger to see who it was, and immediately felt her heart drop as she read the name out loud, "Bruce,"

Diana pursed her lips as she tried to decide what she should do. Originally, she intended on calling the person to see if they were available to grab lunch. But Billy Batson was still way too young and immature to even hold up a conversation with, and Bruce... well Bruce had intruded her dreams and thoughts earlier and she wasn't sure if she could face him. However, it has been over two years since they last saw each other in person. It would be nice to catch up, after all he used to be one of her best friends. She let out a deep sigh as she decided to just shoot him a simple text just to see if he'd even reply:

 _Hi._

She immediately threw her phone to the other side of her bed as she felt her heart start to pound and regret started to fill her inside out. Maybe she should've thought it through, knowing Bruce he's probably too busy to even meet up for a cup of coffee.

"ughhh" she grunted as she grabbed her pillow and pressed her face up against it. Was she wrong to have texted him? She had a weird dream about Bruce, but she was genuinely happy with and engaged to Tom. Things were great between the two of them, so was she ruining that by reaching out to Bruce? No, she began to assure herself, this was just two old colleagues meeting up to talk about their separate lives. To make it even less awkward, she decided to reach out to Clark as well to see if he would be interested in the three of them meeting up.

Diana smiled as she sent Clark the text, the last time she saw any of them was at Clark's wedding 2 years ago. Him and Lois had tied the knot in a small ceremony in the backyard of his family's farm back in Kansas. That was the happiest she had ever seen him, everything was perfect. He was with the woman he loved, surrounded by the ones he cherished. She couldn't help but hope that one day she would be in the same position that Clark was, except with Tom. Her phone chimed, and she reached out to see who texted her.

 _Hey Diana! I'd love to grab lunch with you and Bruce, do you have a place in mind?_

She texted him back,

 _I'm thinking the Diner on 4_ _th_ _? Bruce hasn't replied to me yet so I think it's just the two of us, hope that's okay._

The text bubble popped up as soon as she sent it, she smiled as she thought about how some things never change. Clark was as responsive as ever.

 _Oh yeah, we haven't been there in ages! That's okay, we can catch up with him some other time._

As soon as she confirmed the time and place with Clark, she slid off the bed and hopped into the shower.

* * *

-Few Hours Later-

Diana quickly weaved through the massive crowd of people as she tried to get to the café on the corner of 4th Street as fast possible. She was running late and it was the stupid subways fault. She couldn't help but wish that she still had her powers, gods that would solve more than half of her problems.

"Excuse me," She said aloud as she tried to pass by an older man,

"Watch it lady!" The grumpy pedestrian snarled as he shoved her as she squeezed by.

Diana wanted so badly to say something back to him, but she was pressed on time. So instead, she simply rolled her eyes and continued to cross the street and into the Diner where Clark waited for her. She spotted Clark immediately, he towered above everybody in that diner. Regardless of whether he was in his Superman or civilian attire, he stuck out due to his large build. Diana forgot how harmless he always looked as a civilian even though he used to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

As soon as Clark looked up and saw Diana making her way towards him, a giant smile painted itself on his face. He got up out of the booth to give her a big hug. Diana found herself smiling ear to ear as he wrapped his big arms around her and squeezed tightly.

"Missed you so much Diana!" he said as he let go of her and took a step back to get a good look at her face, "you look great,"

"Missed you too Clark, you don't look so bad yourself," she patted his back as she motioned for him to take a seat. As she sat down in the booth and opened up the menu, she couldn't help but notice that Clark was still looking at her.

"Is something wrong?" She asked suddenly concerned. He shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee.

"You just seem to be in a good place," He grinned knowingly, "are you seeing somebody?"

Diana felt the instant rush of blood flow to her cheeks, was it that easy to tell? She subconsciously looked down at her right hand. Clark's eyes trailed down to where her focus laid and he couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"You're engaged?!" He shouted unable to contain both his excitement and surprise. Diana looked around the Diner in hopes that her friend hadn't embarrassed her in front of everyone, but to her dismay the entire restaurant had their eyes on her.

"Sorry, I just…wow… how long have you been engaged for? And to who?" He spoke quickly, unable to process how much has happened in the past two years they haven't seen each other.

"I don't think you've ever met him, his names Tom and it's only been a couple of months,"

"How come this is the first I'm hearing of this?"

"Sorry," She apologized sheepishly, "everybody was so busy with their lives at that point, I guess I didn't feel like it was something worth bringing up,"

"Diana, of course it is, we're your friends," Clark placed his hand over hers in a comforting motion, "I'm so happy for you,"

"Thanks Clark," She loved that about him, he was so understanding and kind. During their time as team members she never felt like she had to hide anything from him, he was indefinitely one of her most trusted and loyal friends.

"Does Bruce know? Or were you planning on telling him today?" He asked as he took another sip of his coffee. Diana sat back into the seat and let out a small sigh.

"I haven't told him…not sure if I ever will," She looked down to her side. Clark was one of the very few people that knew of the history between her and Bruce. There wasn't much romantic history, but it was much more of a dramatic and regret-filled past. It might just be better if Bruce were to find out from someone else that she was engaged to Tom. She also felt that he probably wouldn't care all that much.

"You should," Clark gently squeezed her hand and tilted his head to grab her attention once more, "He'd be so happy for you,"

Diana suddenly felt a singe of pain and angst in her chest, she wasn't sure if she wanted Bruce to be happy for her. She wasn't sure why, but it just felt like some sort of defeat to her.

Clark noticed how she tensed up after his comment about Bruce. Sensing that it was still an uneasy topic for her he decided to change the conversation up.

"Lois is expecting," His voice was swimming in excitement and happiness. Diana looked up at him with bright and excited eyes,

"By the gods, how far along is she?!" Diana felt the past scars of Bruce shed away as she was now filled with excitement for Clark and Lois.

"She's 3 months in, but she's showing more and more every day," He grinned, "He's gonna be a boy,"

"You can tell already?" Diana asked curiously, his x-ray vision was long gone so she was curious as to how he could possibly know the gender already.

"No, but I have a feeling it's going to be,"

"Oh Clark," Diana laughed at his excitement, "You're bound to love them the same regardless of their gender,"

"Yeah I know, but I just want a boy," He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand embarrassingly, "Lois wants a girl though,"

"Regardless, I'm happy for you," Diana shot him a genuine smile that reflected the happiness she felt for the both of them. After all they've been through they deserved to be happy. She's so glad they found each other, it was always as though they were meant for one another. Their conversation continued on over their lunch, filled with surprises, laughs and a feeling of comfort. But throughout their catch-up session, Diana couldn't help but wish that Bruce had made an appearance no matter how short and painful it would've been.

* * *

-3 days later-

"Hey babe, your phone's ringing," Tom called out from the bathroom as he styled his blonde waves into a neat comb over, "It's on the bed,"

Diana rushed into the bedroom and saw the caller ID on her phone read 'Jack', it was her boss from the law firm.

"Good Morning," She answered,

"Hey Diana, sorry for calling you so early, but I was wondering if you could come into the office as soon as possible. We're discussing the closing procedures for the acquisition and we would love to have your input on some matters,"

'Acquisition?' Diana thought to herself perplexingly, she originally thought it was a merger, but didn't think it would be an acquisition. She wasn't concerned if her job was on the line, she was the best at what she did. She had focused her law career in diversity and equality in the work force, which was in rising demand after the depowering of meta's and magical beings.

"Diana?" Jack's voice brought her back to the present phone conversation, "You there?"

"Hi Jack, yeah of course! I'll come in as soon as I can. Give me about 30 minutes?" She reached a hand out to Tom and he knowingly handed her a hairbrush.

"Perfect, see you soon!" Jack was an older gentleman with a young spirit. He was easily excited about a lot of things and his infinite passion rubbed off on those around her, including Diana. She had loved the energy he exuded and found herself passionate about the things he was.

She hung up the phone and started brushing her long raven waves as she walked over to her drawer to pick out her outfit.

"They called you in last minute?" Tom asked as he walked up behind her and gave her a tight hug,

"Yeah, something about needing my help with the acquisition," Diana put her brush down and turned to face him,

"Acquisition? Doesn't that mean Jack might not be your boss anymore? You love the guy," Tom kissed her on the cheek as his green orbs focused on her blue ones.

"Not nearly as much as I love you," she smiled as she kissed him gently, "I have to get ready,"

She lightly pushed him back as she got ready, it's been a few days since she's been at work and everything already felt so different.

* * *

-1 Hour Later-

"There she is!" Jack's voice rang through the meeting room as they saw Diana turn into the doorway.

"Sorry if I'm late," Diana sincerely apologized as she put on a polite smile. She surveyed the room and saw all the partners sitting on one side of the table. Jack was seated at the head of the table since he was the primary of the firm. The other side of the table was empty except for one man who wore a hood that covered his face. He had a strange appearance about him, he was wearing a nicely tailored suit but with a hood attached to the collar of it.

"You're not to worry, we're still waiting on others," Jack assured her as he motioned for her to take a seat at the other end of the table. As she took a seat, she heard one of the partners who goes by the name Sim, clear his throat. A noticeable look of distaste hovered on his face, his eyes were narrow as he glared at the strange hooded man.

As she took a seat, she noticed the other two partners were also looking a bit grim. What was going on?

"Ah, the man of the hour! There he is!" Jack shot up out of his seat with the biggest smile on his face as he walked over to the door to greet the man.

Diana stayed still as she continued to examine the expressions of the partners and tried to gauge exactly what was happening before she took action.

"Jack, sorry I'm late, did I make you wait long?" An unforgettable sharp baritone voice shot through Diana's ears as she froze, wide-eyed in her seat, "You know how I am with morning meetings,"

She mentally tried to claw her way out of her paralyzed state, but found it impossible. There was no way her instincts were wrong…that voice, that deep baritone voice that made every inch of her body tremble. It had to be him.

"Don't worry we all know about the compelling night life you lead," Jack laughed as he shook his hand excitedly, "Oh! This is Diana Prince-our in-house specialist, the one we've been telling you about,"

A broad hand was extended in her direction, it took every bit of her willpower to simply turn her head to look at his hand.

"Diana Prince was it?" Every word he elicited from his lips had her heart pounding harder and harder. She shifted her gaze up and into his steel blue eyes - the ones that bore into her soul like no other. The eyes that drew out the light in hers and made her feel like she was falling into an infinite cycle of both excitement and pain. The ones that belonged to no other than…

"Bruce Wayne,"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for reading! Special shout out to those who took time out of their days and left a review. Enjoy!

 **"No matter what they wish for, no matter how far they go, people can never be anything but themselves. That's all."**

― Haruki Murakami

* * *

"Well then, let's getting this meeting going so Mr. Wayne can go cure his hangover," Jack lightheartedly joked as he motioned for Bruce to take a seat. Bruce shot him a grin as he followed the older man's gesture and sat in the seat next to the strange hooded man. Diana just stared at him with a blank expression on her face, she didn't know how to react. Bruce had ignored her text and casually showed up at her work place.

'He couldn't possibly be the one trying to buy out her firm…could he?' she thought to herself as she tried to piece everything together, 'But why?'

She couldn't come up with any reason as to why he would be here of all places, her firm was on the smaller side, if he needed counsel he could have just gone for a larger more reputable firm. She was pulled back to the reality of the situation when Bruce cleared his throat.

"As we've previously discussed, I would like to have your firm join Wayne Tech as its permanent in-house counsel," Bruce's voice noticeable changed from that of his lax mannerism to more of a professional businessman one, "We're in need of your professionalism and expertise,"

"But why us?" Diana realized the words flew out from between her lips before she knew what was going on,

"Diana, please let him finish," Jack was surprised by Diana's behavior, she was usually amicable but for some reason she seemed a bit on edge today.

"My apologies Diana, I forgot this would be the first time you heard of this…allow me to explain," Bruce turned his chair ever so slightly so that he was facing her more directly. Diana didn't let her gaze squander from his. She couldn't read his expression, she had no idea what he was planning or thinking. How typical, somethings never change.

"I am looking for an in-house counsel to help with a campaign I'm planning on running, this firm happens to be the best in the specific area of expertise I am basing my campaign around-actually… _You're_ the best in it," Bruce motioned his hand in her direction, his eyes unwavering as he gauged her reaction to his explanation, "If I'm to be very blunt and honest, I originally came here to only ask you to join our campaign,"

"What kind of campaign are you trying to run?" Diana completely disregarded his attempt at flattering her, she was more interested in finding out exactly what he was up to and why he was insistent that she join him. From the corner of her eye she saw Sim's posture shift in an uncomfortable way.

"Simply put-Equality," Bruce sat up as he leaned onto the table, his eyes ablaze with passion, "There's a war coming, it's not the type of war we've seen with guns, superheroes and villains…It's about acceptance and putting the past behind us,"

His words cut sharp lines into everyone who sat around that table, it was something they all felt in the air around them. It was too quiet and far too peaceful. As lawyers they based their lives on the foundation that chaos will always exist in some shape or form, there was no avoiding it. Rather you face it, and deal with the consequences in the quickest and fairest way possible. Crime rates were low, but poverty was increasing. The aftermath of Lex's technology and Dr. Fate's barrier had taken an unforeseeable turn. The equilibrium of crime and poverty had shifted. With all the heroes and villains now powerless and trying to find somewhat good and honest work, the job market was starting to crash. There were more homeless people on the streets than ever before, most of them were retired heroes and villains alike.

"An up rise is coming, and we need to act fast," Bruce continued, "You're the best at what you do Diana, I need you,"

Diana felt her heartbeat pace faster as his last three words resonated with her, she's never heard him say that about anybody before. Did he mean it? Probably, but not in the way she had always wanted. He needed her for her professional expertise and nothing more. She's been down this path before, the feeling that there might be something more between the two of them, but at the end of the day it's all about work for Bruce.

"Of course I didn't make it easy for Mr. Wayne," Jack chimed in as everyone shifted their attention to him now, "He came here asking for you and only you, but I made sure to let him know that this would be a package deal,"

Diana felt herself smile a little at Jack's antiques, he was always looking out for her and she appreciated that. Her attention shifted to the other 3 partners to see how they felt about all of this. Sim had a frown on his face as he stared at the middle of the table, while the other 2 seemed indifferent. She got the hunch that they weren't the biggest fans of this plan.

"Which I'm willing to accommodate to, the more the merrier," Bruce turned his attention back to Diana, "So what do you say?"

"May I have some more time to think things through?" Diana asked, genuinely unsure of what she should do. Bruce was right most of the time and even though so much time and distance had passed between the two of them, she still trusted him. But things were different now, he wasn't asking her to help with her metahuman powers, he wasn't asking her to take down Darkseid…no he was asking her to take a stand against other humans and the foundation of which they currently stood on. This was a different kind of battle for her, one that she wasn't as well versed in as she was at throwing punches.

"Time is a thing of liberty," A hoarse voice whispered, barely audible, "both of which we're running out of,"

A cold shiver ran down Diana's spine as she recognized the voice. Her eyes bore down on the hooded man sitting next to Bruce. What was he doing here? Sim's eyes shifted into a tight line as he glared murderously at the hooded man.

'Hera, please tell me this is joke,' Diana thought to herself as her eyes shifted between all the men sitting at the table, 'Bruce…what are you up to?'

"That it is my old friend," Bruce sighed as he suddenly stood up from his seat, "Well, I suppose we should adjourn this meeting until next week,"

"Yes, we'll let you know our answer as soon as we can," Jack got up with a look of discomfort as he took in the aura of the room, "Thanks for coming all the way here from Gotham Bruce, much appreciated,"

"Not a problem at all," Bruce lightly nodded his head to the members of the table, "It was a pleasure to see you all again, until next time…"

As Bruce got up to leave, the hooded man followed his lead and walked out the door after Bruce. The presence of which they left in their wake was an unwelcomed one. With every second that passed by, Diana felt the air in the room thicken with tension. She knew that the once harmonious chemistry of the firm was falling apart due to Bruce's campaign. Sim was the one it seemed to effect the most negatively, but she wasn't surprised.

Sim was a stone faced, tall and well-built man. He was in his mid-40's and had a wife and a young boy, he usually kept a low profile but was known to chime in with his own dark sense of humor here and there. Jack had told her once that Sim grew up with a rough family situation, his father used to be a lieutenant to the one and only Carmine Falcon. However, he was able to finally coax his father out of the business when he got into law school. They made a promise to each other, that if he became a lawyer, his father would stop associating with the mafia. She wasn't sure how the rest of it went, but one thing she knew for sure was that Sim had an iron fist when it came to gang-related cases. He surprising felt no sympathy, and instead always resorted to prosecuting gang-members for the worst charges. This reflected well on the integrity of the firm, they had a high percentage of success rates and it had largely to do with Sim's passionate efforts.

Diana knew that he felt strongly about certain things, but that didn't mean that they were always the right things. She knows Bruce far more closely than any of them do, and she knows that Bruce is more likely to be right than wrong especially when it came to these things. But she couldn't help but wonder why Sim had felt so strongly about this acquisition that he showed it so visibly?

"Diana, I know you want some more time to think things through and I don't want to rush you, however it would be best if you decided within the week," Jack gave her an understanding look, he knew that this was a big step for her, but it was also a huge opportunity for the firm. Wayne Enterprises was the golden throne, if the firm were to join the Mega Corporation; than the possibilities were endless.

"I'll give you an answer by tomorrow," her lips formed into a tight line as she felt the pressure from Jack. This was a big deal for him, of course he would want to go through with this. Jack always lived a luxurious life, he belonged somewhere on the top. Bruce would be his key into that society and lifestyle and he would also be able to do so much good while he's up there.

Jack just gave her a nod and motioned with a slight tilt of his head for her to make her leave. Understanding the signal, she quickly got up, said her goodbyes and left the office. As she waited in the elevator her thoughts started to clutter with everything that went on in the meeting room today. She wasn't sure if Bruce's real intentions were to create that peace that he advertised so well, or if there was something else up his sleeves. He was always a man of mystery, he successfully kept her on her toes back then and even now. Who knows what he's thinking, the man's a genius and he's constantly trying to better himself and the world. It was odd, she used to always feel so on par with him when they were both a part of the league, however today she felt that he was miles ahead of her. The rest of them lost their powers, but Bruce… he never had any powers other than his unbreakable will, humanity and well…money. None of those things changed when the world was rid of super powers and magic. What used to be a near god-like mortal and a goddess on the same level turned to a near god-like mortal and a simple mortal on completely different levels. She still had her fighting capacity, she learned many different techniques and art. But things were different now, she wasn't invincible and she couldn't stop bullets with her fingers.

The elevator dinged as it landed in the lobby, she walked towards the door and the doorman opened the door for her. She gave him a warm smile as he greeted her and told her to have a nice day. As she turned right to walk up to the subway station she noticed a familiar figure leaning up against a black sports car, which appears to be the new Laferrari Fxx K. She tipped her chin up a bit and began walking quickly past him, hoping he'd get the idea that she wasn't in the mood to talk. She was surprised to think her plan was working as she took a few strides past him, but was mistaken when she felt his warm hand wrap around her wrist and tug gently, causing her to stop mid-stride.

"Diana, a word?" He asked as softly as possible. He knew she wasn't too happy with him, not a word was spoken between the two of them in the past couple of years and he suddenly shows up at her firm.

"I asked that you give me some time to think it over," She pulled her wrist out of his grasp and stood there facing forward and away from him.

"There's a lot going on, I just wanted to discuss things on a more personal level," It was uncharacteristic of him to want to discuss personal things. Diana wasn't sure if she was buying it, or if she even wanted to hear about it.

"Everyone's got a lot going on Bruce, it's been years. Things are different now," She sighed as she realized she sounded a lot more hostile than she originally intended. Maybe things still needed more time to heal between them, maybe these past couple of years weren't enough…

"Look, I understand that you're still upset at me, but this isn't about me or you-it's about Gotham, New York, our world," As he finished his sentence, Diana spun around to face him. He wouldn't dare admit that the enraged and hurt expression of her face had wounded him as deeply as it did, he had to keep it professional. He knew he had hurt her like no one else ever did, but he had a mission and he was hoping she would share it with him.

"It's never about you or even me Bruce, you've made that abundantly clear to me time and time again," Diana muttered as she tried to control the anger in her voice.

"I'll drive you home, just give me a few minutes of your time," Bruce opened the passenger side car door, inviting his old colleague to join him. Diana reluctantly sighed as she walked towards the car. She gauged how she would make her way into the car, it was so low that the floor of the car was even lower than the curb. Grinning as he saw her inward struggle, he extended his arm and grabbed her hand. Diana reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to support her as she made her way into his ridiculous car. After she was comfortably seated, Bruce pushed a button that brought the car door down and closed it. He made his way over to the driver's side and slide into the seat with ease.

"Where do you live?" Bruce asked as he started up the car, "Chinatown?"

"By Ludlow," She answered, "I'm surprised you don't already know"

Bruce shot her a look of both humor and hurt, "Old habits do tend to die off Princess,"

 _Princess_ , she had completely forgotten his favored pet name for her. Even when she was exiled from Themyscira and lost all her powers, he still called her Princess. She used to have a love-hate relationship with the nickname. It reminded her of all the things she had lost and what she had used to be, but the way he said it had made it comforting and familiar. There were only a few people who knew she used to be the Princess of Themyscira, it was a rare occurrence to be referred to by that title nowadays.

Bruce turned the car into the lane and started driving towards Diana's apartment.

"Never thought you'd leave Chinatown," Bruce tried to start an easygoing conversation with her,

"I hope this 30 minute car ride isn't just for small talk Bruce,"

"Of course," His facial expression changed, it's been years and Diana can still tell when the Batman surfaces, "I need your help with this campaign, I need your expertise and your people skills. You're the keystone to it all,"

"And what kind of skills can Harvey Dent provide you with?" She glared at him, she hoped to the gods that Bruce didn't think she forgot who the criminal was,

"He's a changed man," Bruce wasn't surprised that she picked up on who he was even with his hood covering his face entirely, "He's going to be the face of the campaign,"

"Of all people Bruce…Two Face? The man who used to flip a coin to decide whether or not someone gets to live or die?!" Diana felt herself getting flustered by the conversation, she expected Bruce out of everyone to be the most careful and distrusting of villains.

"You have to trust me on this Diana, he's changed. He was always able to see both sides of the picture, and now we need that more than ever," His voice pleaded with her to understand what he was saying, "sometimes we have to trust our instincts on things,"

"Is that so?" Diana couldn't hold back any longer, "And did you trust your instinct when you decided to just walk away from me? When you decided that I was still no good for you?"

She held her breathe and felt the heat rise in her body, she had gone off about something completely irrelevant to their conversation. She brought up something that was taboo, something that should've been left buried along with the league years ago.

"Diana," his voice became clearer and softer, "You were always too good for me…you losing your powers didn't change that,"

"That's a lie and we both know it," Diana felt tears start to well up, she was opening up past wounds that should never have existed in the first place, "You lied to me time and time again Bruce, you never could tell me the truth,"

She saw his grip on the steering wheel tighten as she started to crack through his usual calm demeanor. She was getting to him, and a part of her was glad. However another part of her started to feel nervous as his driving started to get faster and harder.

"I've never lied to you Diana," He clenched his chiseled jaw as he drove through the notorious New York City traffic as though he owned the streets, "Just because you lost your powers and most of our enemies lost theirs, it didn't mean that the world was a safe place,"

Realizing that she had triggered something in him, she tried to deescalate the situation. She never meant to hurt him, she just didn't know what went on in that head of his. She was beginning to see that there was more to it than she originally thought, his reasoning for everything that happened between the two of them started to clear up more.

"Bruce, let's just drop it-," She stopped midsentence to grab anything she could in the car to keep herself in place as Bruce weaved through multiple taxis in order to make it past the red light.

"No, you're right. You deserve an explanation," His eyes glowed as he focused not only the road but also on carefully selecting his words, "My enemies… only a select few of them were metas and magicians. Just like I didn't have any powers to lose, most of them didn't either. It doesn't take a super powered being to hurt me,"

He slowed to a stop at a red light and turned to look at Diana. His eyes, a cold and unforgiving blue looked into her soft and vibrant ones. The way he was looking at her made her shudder and squirm in her seat. Her pulse beat faster and faster, she didn't realize how much she missed the intensity he exuded.

"All it takes is losing you," his eyes softened, the hurt in them was so evident. Diana wanted to reach out to him and comfort him. A man who had lost everything as a child and is afraid to lose everything. She silently cursed herself for not being more sensitive towards his own needs, and for not being more understanding. She pushed the most stubborn man in the world to admit something so intimate and personal. Instead of feeling proud of herself, she felt ashamed of herself. How on Earth did they get to this point? She missed him as her best friend, colleague and brother. But she felt as though there was no going back.

"I'll help you," She let out a deep breath as she took in every bit of their conversation. The light turned green and Bruce turned his attention back to the road.

"Thanks Dian-,"

"But drive recklessly again and I'll make damn sure your campaign doesn't make it past the whiteboard at Wayne Tech," she interjected, for the first time in years she felt like her life was on the line while sitting in that car. She couldn't recall for the life of her if he had driven the Batmobile that crazily back then.

Bruce let out a chuckle as he smiled at her, "As you wish Princess,"

Again, she felt it again. The heat rising to her cheeks almost as high as her long forgotten hopes did. What was she getting herself into?


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites and follows! I understand some of you are frustrated that I'm starting a new story without completing my other ones, but please bear with me. Once I finish this one (which I promise I will), I 'll go back to a few of my older stories and finish them. Until then, enjoy!

 **"Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait."**

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

* * *

Bruce walked from his car, up the marble stairs to the entrance of Wayne Manor. As soon as he was a few feet away from the door, the large door slid open and exposed the interior of the grand structure. Standing by the entrance was his lifelong friend and surrogate father, Alfred.

"Good Evening Master Wayne, shall I escort your vehicle?" Alfred extended an open hand offering to take the car keys from Bruce,

"Don't have too much fun with it," Bruce smirked as he dropped the key into the older man's hand and walked into his home.

"Fear not Master Wayne," Bruce swore he saw the butler flash a cheeky grin before he strode out the door to the car. He heard the engine roar as his butler started up the car, and cringed slightly when he heard the tires squeal as Alfred clearly had too much fun with it.

Bruce made his way through the elaborate manor, it was aged and the floors creaked in a nostalgic way. There were so many memories floating between the walls, the happier ones of which were with his parents. This quest for redemption had only grown more passionate since he first took it upon himself to protect others like his parents. It's been over 20 years and yet he still has trouble breathing when he thinks about the cold blooded murder of his beloved parents. There was no justification, no reason for his parents to have died that night. More than the feeling of loneliness, more than his own selfish desires to have grown with the love of his parents…he wished that his parents were alive because they cherished Gotham and the people in it. They would've done so much more and greater than he was ever able to do for the city. The legacy they left behind was tarnished by his inability to relate and connect to his surroundings due to his own trauma. As he opened the door to his study he found Dick sitting in one of the chairs reading a book from his library.

"Howdy," Dick greeted as he placed the book down on the side desk. He ran his hand through his dark chin length hair and got up to greet his former mentor, "How'd the meeting go?"

"Good," Bruce made his way to his desk and shuffled through the mail that Alfred had left on his desk, "How was patrol last night?"

"Nothing crazy," Dick responded as he walked over towards Bruce, "It's been pretty quiet actually, you still think there's something brewing?"

"Yes, why else would it be this quiet?" Bruce picked up his silver letter opener and slid it through an envelope to open it. Dick carefully watched his mentor as he tried to think up of ideas and responses to Bruce. He couldn't think of any, other than that crime was really going downhill. But Bruce refused to believe it, he kept saying that there was something more going on. Dick refuses to admit it out of pride and ego, but Bruce was right most of the time. However, this time he really felt that his mentor was wrong; he truly believed that Gotham was getting better.

"Have you given our last talk some thought?" Dick sat down in the chair opposite of Bruce, he leaned back into the seat and made himself comfortable.

"No, it's not an option," Bruce put the mail aside and opened the drawer of his mahogany stained desk and pulled out paperwork.

"Bruce, Tim and I can handle Gotham now…It's really not that bad anymore," Dick waved his hands around as he tried to explain to his adoptive father his reasoning for him to consider retirement, "You're going to have your hands full with this campaign and everything going on,"

Dick held his breathe as Bruce stopped going through his papers and looked him straight in the eye right before he said, "As long as I am capable, I will stay committed to Gotham,"

The younger man let out a loud and long sigh, he had known from the start that this would be a tough argument to make. But he truly felt that Bruce was better off leaving Gotham and it's demons to him and Tim. He could see that all those years of fighting and working had put a large toll on him. The man didn't know a life beyond the cowl, he had trouble finding himself as Bruce Wayne, Entrepreneur and civilian.

"Look Bruce, I'm going to be blunt with you…" Dick moved to the end of the seat so he was closer to Bruce, "You need a life. You were one of the only mortal humans on the league and yet you've led the least humanly life…even after the league disbanded,"

Bruce narrowed his eyes as he listened intently to what Dick had to say, he rarely received criticism of this sort and he found it rather interesting to listen to. Even if he wasn't planning on taking the advice and running with it. He could tell that Dick was feeling nervous about being so candid with him, he kept moving his hands as he spoke and licked his lips often.

"Even Superman got married, don't forget Dinah and Oliver, Shayera and John, and well you know the rest…" Dick felt himself start to stumble with his words, he rarely spoke so openly to Bruce but he felt as though this was his last chance to get to him, "And I know you had some unresolved things with Diana, but even she got over it,"

"What do you mean?" Bruce focused to make sure his eyes didn't give away the surprise he felt inside. What did he mean, 'she got over it', does that mean…

"Well you know… she got over you, she's engaged to someone now…right?" One by one, as the words left Dick's mouth he slowly began to realize that he had just told Bruce something he never knew about, "Oh…"

Dick saw Bruce's jaw tick as he clenched it, he just made a colossal mistake. He thought Bruce was one of the first to know about it. The only reason Dick found out was because he was still friends with Donna. She had told him and Barbara about it when they went on their double date with her and Jason. He wanted to blame it all on an honest mistake, but he still felt so guilty. Bruce would never say it, but he was still very much in love with Diana. He wasn't over her, but she was most definitely over him now. He knew this because Selina's been asking for Bruce, says she hasn't seem in over a year. He even asked Alfred if he's seen anyone else around the manor, but he hasn't-not for over two years. The old bat was too stubborn to admit it, but he was heartbroken and nothing would be able to mend him other than an Amazon Princess. He couldn't help but pity his mentor as he watched him sit there, alone, imagining the love of his life with somebody else.

"Did you want to talk?" Dick tried to reach out to him with his voice and companionship, one way or another Bruce was bound to find out. He just hates that he was the one to break it to him.

"There's nothing to discuss," Bruce said in the quietest voice he had ever heard.

* * *

 **-2 Hours Later: Lower East Side, Manhattan-**

Diana placed her hands on both sides of Tom's broad shoulders and leaned into his back as she inhaled deeply and moaned lightly.

"Mm…Smells so good," she smiled from ear to ear as the aroma of spaghetti pasta carbonara filled her senses, "Can't wait to eat,"

"Gotta let it sit for a few minutes before we can chow down on it," Tom smirked as he spun around from the kitchen counter to face her, "Shall we pick out some wine?"

He kissed her on the lips as he gently pushed her hips towards the wine cabin. They made their way over to the extensive wine collection.

"White?" Diana pointed at a bottle of Pinot Grigio,

"Let's try the Gavi di Gavi, we haven't opened it since we bought it on our second date," Tom reached out to grab the bottle as soon as he received Diana's nod of approval. Diana proceeded to take two wine glasses from the top of the cabin. The two made their way back to the island where their dinner waited for them.

Tom took out a corkscrew from one of the drawers and started to turn the tip into the cork of the wine bottle.

"Ow!" Tom flinched, almost dropping the glass bottle. He pushed the pad of his thumb to his lips as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"What happened, are you okay?!" Surprised, Diana made her way over to him to check his wounded finger.

"Yeah I just nicked it," He muttered as he pulled his finger away from his mouth to examine the damage, "should heal in no time,"

"You have to be careful with your hands," Diana went over to the other counter to grab a napkin. She pulled his hand towards her and wrapped his bloodied thumb with it.

"I know, they're my best feature," He grinned as he gently shoved Diana with his arm in a joking manner, "I'll be fine babe, don't worry,"

"Let me get you a bandage," She took his other hand and placed it where her hand was just moments ago, signaling for him to hold the napkin secure.

"It's okay, it'll stop in a bit," Tom beckoned for her not to go on her quest for a bandage. He much rather her not have to worry about it. Diana sighed as she decided to listen to him and stay put. The blood should clot soon, the cut wasn't big at all. She was just worried that it would get infected or something. Standing a foot apart, she was able to take a good look at him and admire his traits. He had mostly blonde hair, but there were specs and streaks of red hair. He always joked around saying he was one of the only Irish guys who couldn't outdrink his girlfriend. He had a sharp jaw with a constant five o'clock shadow, without it he felt as though people wouldn't take him seriously. She wasn't the biggest fan of how prickly it was, but she did admire how it looked on him. He was tall-had to be if he was going to stand side by side her 5'11" figure. But more than that, he had a great smile-one that would make her day feel that much brighter. She tried to think of other people who had such nice smiles that would be able to turn her day into such a positive one. Bruce. She mentally rolled her eyes and swatted away the image of Bruce smiling. This was not the time for that nonsense. She was happy with Tom, he reciprocated her love and so much more. Her mind wandered some more before she realized that she should talk to Tom as soon as possible about her project with Bruce. It was strictly business, nothing more.

"Hey, I have something to talk to you about," She waited patiently for him to look up at her, searching for his dark blue spheres. He turned his attention from his injured thumb to his fiancée, he noticed that her expression had turned more serious.

"Did something happen at work today?" He asked curiously, usually Diana didn't let things affect her but it seemed as though something was on her mind.

"Kind of, it was a pretty lengthy conversation but basically the firm is being taken over by Wayne Enterprises," She started to feel a bit uneasy as she saw his expression shift to a worried one.

"Are you going with them?"

"I plan to," She felt that suddenly there was a slight tension between them, "Bruce Wayne personally asked me to,"

"Bruce Wayne did?" He raised an eyebrow, "Why would that haut come down from his high and mighty throne to personally ask you?"

He instantly regretted his words as he saw Diana's eye twitch at his unnecessary comments. He also knew he had offended her and made her sound unworthy of Bruce's attention.

"Sorry…" He quickly apologized and raised his good hand in an attempt to calm her down.

"That was uncalled for," She felt as though she had to defend not only herself but also her friend, who was actually the complete opposite of what Tom had made him sound to me. It also perplexed her as to why he had gotten so fired up about it. It was unlike him to jump to conclusions like that.

"Look Diana, I'm all for you trying out new things and joining huge companies," He started, "But I feel uneasy about you working with the playboy of the century. Not that I doubt your ability to brush him off, but he's just notorious for being…well…a douche,"

"I understand your concerns, but like you said, as long as you don't doubt me, there's nothing to worry about," She tried her best not to come off as defensive, but the more they talked about it, the more she felt like he didn't trust her,

"And I get that…," He sighed, "I don't really want to argue about that guy, can we just drop it?"

"So your primary concern is him? Not why I'm joining the company or any of that?" Diana could barely contain herself, she had hoped by this time and age it wasn't always an assumption that all women cared about was who the better man was. She was more focused and concerned with her career, but Tom didn't see it that way.

"Babe, that's not what I implied…You can do whatever you want, but I wish you'd consider my feelings about this too," He practically begged her to understand his side,

"I'm sure you've had many discussions like this with your patients, but sometimes we just have to decide for ourselves what's best," She felt herself start to cool down, "Bruce wants to help, and I share his vision. I understand he's not the most upstanding citizen but he has the means and the way, so I'm going to help him as much as I can,"

Tom groaned in defeat, he knew he couldn't win against this stubborn woman. But regardless, he loved her dearly. He pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"No late nights at the office though," he grumbled, still having a hard time accepting it all.

"Promise," she smiled as she reached around him to grab a string of spaghetti and snuck it into her mouth, "Let's eat, I'm starved,"

* * *

 **-Later That Night: Gotham-**

Dick spun through the air as he ran across the rooftops of Gotham. He had always enjoyed how cold it got during the nights, it was a heavy, dense and chilling sensation. But it felt so invigorating, the bitter air cut deep into his lungs as he sliced through the night with his aerobics. The streets were empty of crime nowadays, there were some robberies here and there but nothing the cops couldn't handle. He did notice however the growing population of the homeless, he would find them in alleyways that used to be vacant a few weeks ago. Every time he walked by one of them, he would see the hopelessness in their eyes. They weren't scared of him or batman, they were scared of starving to death. Some of them used to be minor culprits and villains, but they didn't flinch one bit when in the presence of the bat clan. They weren't their primary concern anymore.

He jumped off the roof and skillfully landed on the ledge of another. His communication device rang in his ear.

"Nightwing here," he picked up,

"Hey, you staying out late tonight?" Barbara asked. She was visiting her dad for the night, he wanted her help in solving a case involving an armed robbery the other night.

"Not too late, there's nothing happening," He looked up into the grey skies expecting it to rain any second, the air felt moist and dense all of a sudden.

"Okay, just wanted to check up on you," He could hear Commissioner Gordon in the back yelling excitedly for her to come to his board,

"Sounds like you've got your hands full,"

"Yeah, Dad says he found something," she sighed, "I should go,"

"Don't let me hold you up, Love you" He grinned as he hung up the call. He was happy that she was able to spend more time with her dad. Half of it had to do with street crime declining and the commissioner having more free time, the other half of it was because Bruce felt that half the bat clan was no longer needed on a daily basis. He made sure to tell them to be on standby though, just in case his prediction was correct and things got out of hand one day.

Nightwing turned his gaze from the sky to the ground as he returned to patrolling. As he scanned the streets around him, his eyes caught something peculiar. In one of the buildings adjacent to the one he was standing on, he saw a familiar face walk into a dimly lit room. His face was easily recognizable, the burn marks forever marring his skin and revealing the flesh below. Harvey Dent had walked into what appears to be a random room in a random building in the middle of the night. Dick was curious as to what he was up to. He knew Bruce trusted him and turned him into an advisor of some sort, however he also knew that Two Face used to be one of the most hardened criminals he had ever faced. The man either showed unmeasurable mercy or became a cold blooded murder.

Dick watched carefully as he saw Harvey's lips moving, he was talking to somebody. Trying to get a better vantage point, he moved one rooftop over to get a look at who it might be Harvey was talking to. He kneeled down on one of the stone gargoyle's trying to prevent himself from being seen. Harvey was still talking to somebody, and if the aggravated arm motions were any indication it seemed as though the conversation was getting heated. Dick saw a shadow slowly approach the retired lawyer, but before he could get a good look at who it was, Harvey quickly reached out and closed the curtains.

Dick cursed under his breathe, he decided it would be best to report it to Bruce before he tried taking matters into his own hands. Regardless of whether or not Bruce trusted him now, Two Face gave him a bad vibe, and something in him felt that he was up to no good.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, sorry about the short pause I had a busy week. Here's a slightly lengthier chapter to make up for it! Also, I apologize if the characters seem a bit OOC, this is my own interpretation of them in this AU.

Hoping this chapter answers some of your questions! Enjoy!

 **"Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word."**

-George R.R Martin

* * *

-New York City: A Few Days Later-

"Well then, we know where Diana stands now don't we?" Jack started the meeting trying to get to the point as quickly as possible. He was usually a talkative guy who enjoyed taking his time with things, but joining Wayne Enterprises was a big deal. And he wanted to wrap it up quickly before something ruined their chances.

The 7 of them were seated around the table once more, Diana had already told Jack that she would take the deal to join Wayne Enterprises as long as the firm could come along with her. Jack seemed ecstatic about the decision, however the rest of the partners didn't seem as excited. Sim along with Tony and Zachary were showing expressions of being in discomfort.

"Great, so then we can go ahead and sign the paperwork for the acquisition," Jack felt the tension in the air thicken. He was basically talking to himself at this point. The meeting only started five minutes ago and already things were going awry. He knew the others were against the acquisition, it only sense since they had been with the firm for such a long time. They didn't want to lose their positions as partners just to become men in suits that worked for Wayne Enterprises. However he felt that if anyone had the power and right to make such a defining decision for the firm, it was him. He had started the firm all by himself 20 years ago, his dream was to become one of the largest firms in the eastern coast but it was unforeseeably costly. He had lost his family as he drowned himself in his work, his two daughters had become distant and barely kept in touch with him. Jack had given his all into this firm, and his dream was finally coming true. He'd be working alongside one of the largest corporations in the world, for a cause that he believed in. He wasn't going to let others get in the way of that.

Bruce glanced over at Jack's direction and saw the determination in his eyes, he knew the man was driven. But not by a passion that paralleled his or Diana's; the man was driven by money and power. He had taken the time to read up on the man's bio and knew of his estrangement from his family, that was the cost of such hunger. If the only way to please and convince Diana to come join Wayne Enterprises was to bring along the rest of her firm, then that was something he was willing to work with. He turned his glance over to Diana who started to show signs of being hesitant. He guessed that by now she felt the tension between the other partners, he had just hoped that she wouldn't back down.

"I'm backing out," Sim finally spoke up, breaking the silence that had haunted the room, "Just for the record Jack, you were doing well until this shit happened,"

"Sim, what're you talking about?! THIS-," Jack motioned to Bruce and Harvey, "THIS right here, is the best thing that's happened to us,"

Bruce and Harvey sat still as they carefully watched the exchange, they both had a feeling something like this would happen. Sim was never really in it from the start, he wasn't planning on joining. Diana quietly sighed as she finally felt the tension release, she felt that it was best of she just sat by quietly. She couldn't help but question if she was making the right decision joining Bruce. A few days ago, she was happily going to work with these lovely people who had a nice professional and harmonious relationship with one another. But now things that were hidden on a much deeper level, were starting to be rooted out by the acquisition-the one she had agreed upon.

"Look, you can think whatever the hell you want to, but this is pure bullshit," Sim started to gather his things from the table, "No offense Mr. Wayne, I wouldn't necessarily mind doing business with you, maybe some other time,"

This got Bruce's interest, what did he mean by that?

"What other kind of business did you have in mind?" Bruce questioned, genuinely curious about the hidden meanings behind the older gentleman's words. Sim stopped moving his stuff around as he gave Bruce his full attention. He slowly lifted his arm and pointed a finger at Harvey.

"Ones that don't require me shaking hands with a scumbag," Sim stared down at Harvey, who didn't flinch one bit at the man's words. He just sat there as still as a statue, the only part of him that moved were his eyes as he looked directly into Sim's eyes. Sim grunted as he picked up his folders and belongings.

"It's been a pleasure," Sim gave Jack's shoulder a solid pat before walking out the door of the meeting room. Jack's eyes shifted back and forth from each edge of the table as he tried to decide what his next course of action should be. Sim, his trusted right hand just walked out the door. He didn't know that Sim had a grudge against Harvey, he had no idea that it was to this extent. The whole plan was that Sim would sulk and be pissed about the acquisition, but he'd eventually turn around and be happy with a thicker paycheck and more stable job. Obviously, that wasn't the case.

"We're also backing out, sorry Jack," Zachary got out of his seat, soon followed by Tony.

"Why?! I didn't know you guys were also against any of this, you never said anything!" The desperation leaked from Jack's voice as he tried to cling onto his partners. It made him feel as though he was making a terrible decision, but it was decision that was already made. He was losing his work family, and just like his real family, he didn't know how to stop them from leaving.

"That's cause you never bothered asking us," Tony sighed as he opened the door for Zachary to make their exit, "Good Luck to all of you,"

The two men walked straight to the elevator following Sim in his footsteps as he left the firm for good.

As the door of the meeting room slowly closed, Diana turned from the fading silhouettes of the former partners to face what was left of the firm. Jack looked absolutely torn, he wasn't expecting this sort of outcome, and Diana knew that he had felt abandoned all over again. She glanced over at Bruce who had a blank expression as usual, his thoughts were elsewhere at the moment. Finally, she turned to look at Harvey, and she was surprised to find him quietly chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" Diana felt herself get heated, she felt that the man was making a mockery out of the events that had just happened.

"Funny? I don't find it necessarily funny Ms. Prince, I'm more… relieved," he turned his head to look towards her. The look in his eyes blue eyes a mixture of mischief and passion, "Such weak minded men would only weigh us down in our mission,"

* * *

-30 Minutes Later-

All four of the remaining members exited the building, their expressions a mixture between indifference and uneasiness. Without saying goodbye, Harvey pulled his hood over his head as he started walking down the block. Diana watched him walk away with a scrutinizing eye, she felt mistrusting of him and would address the matter with Bruce. She still wasn't sure what he was doing teaming up with him.

"Jack, I just wanted to personally say that it's an honor to be able to finally work with you," Bruce stuck out his hand to the older man who looked exhausted and stressed out. Jack looked back and forth between the extended hand and Bruce's face, unsure if he felt the same way.

"Yes of course, but let's be blunt Bruce-you're here for Diana," Jack took his hand and shook it weakly. Bruce gave him a tight lipped grin, knowing that things weren't looking to bright for the older man. "I'll be seeing the both of you at Wayne Enterprises then, good night,"

Diana and Bruce stood quietly as they watched Jack walk away, his usual happy and energetic demeanor was nowhere to be found, and instead they witnessed a broken man who was dragging himself back to an empty home.

"I hope this is worth it Bruce," She said as they still stood side by side watching Jack disappear into the crowd of New Yorkers,

"It will be," His voice was stoic and confident, "we just need to stay focused,"

She faced him, worry etched across her face, "I trust you, but I'm not sure I trust Harvey…Something feels off about him,"

"I know," Bruce glanced at his watch before turning to her, "I'll look into it,"

He was well aware that there was something up with Harvey. Dick had told him about the other night and how he was meeting up with someone. His mentee couldn't get a closer look because the whole building was loaded with security measures. Hopefully, Harvey will be hanging around somewhere else tonight and he can find out what he's up to.

"Does he know?" She asked,

"No," Bruce answered knowing she was referring to whether or not Harvey knew about their other personas as heroes, "I plan on keeping it that way,"

"Ok, just promise me you'll be careful Bruce," She was genuinely worried, if Bruce's secret ever got into the wrong hands, there was no telling what kind of demons would be unleashed in Gotham. In that sense, she felt that she understood why he had struggled so much with letting her into his life. There was such an intense fear that there was no telling what these psychopaths would do if they were given a target to prey on.

"Don't worry about me Princess," he gave her a reassuring grin, "I have to head out, did you want a ride home?"

"No I'm meeting someone nearby, thank you though," she smiled as she watched him head towards his parked car. She started to turn to walk in the other direction when suddenly she saw Bruce stop in his tracks.

"I forgot to ask," he still stood facing away from her, "I'm cohosting a charity ball at the Governor's Hall this Friday, would you care to join?"

Diana blinked thoughtfully, considering her answer carefully but realizing that Tom wouldn't appreciate it if she went to the event with Bruce, "I don't think I-"

"-You can bring your plus one," Bruce cut her off, assuring her he knew what she was going to say next. At first Diana was caught off guard, she never mentioned to Bruce that she was engaged or even seeing somebody. But then she realized it was Bruce, and he knew everything about everyone. If anything he was probably the third person to know other than herself and Tom. She softly grinned as she felt nostalgia creep on her, of course Bruce would keep tabs on her, it was a part of who he was.

"I'll get back to you on that," She turned her back to his and continued walking towards the restaurant where she was meeting Tom for dinner. 'Of course he knew,' she thought to herself, but for some reason she felt a tug of guilt in her heart.

Bruce stood in the same spot for a few more seconds before he turned his head ever so slightly to the side to watch Diana's figure fade into the distance. He took a long sigh before sliding into his car. He dropped his palms onto his steering wheel as if they weighed a ton each. His head hung low as he tightly wrapped his fingers around the wheel, clenching them so hard his knuckles started to whiten.

* * *

-New York City: Later that Night-

Sim used the remote to turn off the TV. He looked down towards his lap to see his son fast asleep, practically drooling on him. He smirked as he tried to carefully lift his son up, worried he'll wake him up. He successfully lifted him into his arms and started making his way to the boy's bedroom down the dark hall where he gently tucked him into bed and gave him a kiss on the forehead. As he quietly made his way out of the room and back down the hall to the living room, he felt a menacing presence behind him. He quickly took a backhanded swing trying to get the first hit on the intruder, but his fist was met with empty air. Another quick jab at the dark, but he was once again met with emptiness.

"Who are you?" there was no fear in his voice as he glared into the dark of the hallway.

"I have questions," A deep gravelly voice responded back. Sim quickly recognized the voice, it was the infamous Batman. He was surprised, the Bat was mostly MIA lately, and the only ones who've really seen him lately were reportedly small time criminals. So what was he doing in his home?

"Did you run out of bad guys to go after?" Sim scoffed he was unafraid of him, "So now you're coming after us?"

"Us?" Bruce wasn't sure what the lawyer meant by that,

"The relatives…if you're looking for my father, he's long gone," Sim turned his back on the vigilante and continued walking towards the living room.

"I'm here for you," Bruce knew what he was talking about, Sim's father ran with Falcone a while ago, but he also knows that he went missing a few years ago. There was an assumption that it had to do with him deciding to leave Falcone, usually those things didn't end well with the Mafia. You were in it for life, or you lose your life.

"Well?" Sim motioned for him to continue as he sat back down on the couch and drank his beer, "I'm not afraid of you bats, there's no reason for you to touch a hair on my head,"

Bruce found this intriguing, the man was absolutely fearless of him. This only strengthened his resolve to believe this man was telling the truth.

"What's your connection to Harvey Dent?" He went straight to the point, there was no reason to stand around trying to intimidate answers out of a man like Sim.

"None, and I want to keep it that way," Sim took another swig of his beer, "You're worried he's up to no good with Bruce Wayne,"

"Your partnership with the firm dissolved today, and now your partner Jack is teaming up with Wayne and Dent," Bruce kept his distance as he hid at the edge of the shadow in the hallway.

"Look Batman, I'm sure you already know that I used to be a Gothamite, myself. As soon as I made my own money, I left. And I know for a fact you're smart enough to know why," Sim grunted,

"Humor me," Batman said dryly. Sim just glanced over at him, his eyes nothing more than small slips,

"Why the hell would I stay and let my child live in that asylum of a city?" His voice started to get louder and angrier, "Why the fuck would I work with that lunatic?! My father… he did what any father would have done to make sure his family stayed safe in that crap hole. You think he wanted to be a part of the Mafia? You must be an idiot if you think anybody joins that shit for the thrill of it…,"

Batman stood quietly, soaking all of his words in.

"He only did what he had to, and once I made a way out for us…once I finally had clean, hard-earned money… we planned on leaving that shit hole. And as soon as his foot is out that fucking door, some psychopath flips his goddamn coin and decides that the past defines you. He shot him for doing what any father would do," Sim's voice started weaving in-between stutters and cracks. Batman's face remained still, but on the inside the felt the pain the man was feeling. The thought of a father, sacrificing and willing to do whatever it took to make sure he protected his family-his son…it was something he resonated with.

"If he didn't give a shit as to whether or not my father was reformed, why would I ever let that two-faced bastard become the face of reform?!" Sim snarled, visibly drunk and upset. But he soon realized that he was shouting at no one, the vigilante was gone and he was alone to wallow in his anger and past traumas.

-New York City: Friday Evening-

"Tom, shouldn't you be getting ready soon?" Diana came walking out of the bathroom trying to tie her braided hair. She was in her red wine dress, the halter top dipping down towards her breast. The back was bare to the dip of her waist, and eventually led to a trail of layers that trailed off and ended at the heels of her feet. The dress wrapped tightly around her waist and then fluttered around her legs. Tom watched her finish her braid, his eyes admiring the sight of his fiancée in the beautiful dress. He walked up towards her and placed his hands around her waist, gently kissing her lips making sure he doesn't ruin her lipstick.

"Don't hate me, but I can't make it anymore," he whispered, afraid she was going to be angry with him, "Sorry I'll make it up to you something,"

"Why not?" Diana was more concerned than upset, he actually seemed excited to be going. He was looking forward to connecting to some of the officials and discussing his new research.

"One of the residents called, a critical patient of mine is being sent to the OR and I need to be there to oversee the procedure," He gave her an apologetic look, "I'm really really sorry babe,"

"Don't apologize, that takes priority over this. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you if I ever come across an official looking person," Diana had trouble containing her laughter as she finished her sentence, she wasn't even sure what kind of people she should be talking about or what she would even say about his research.

"You're going to be okay going by yourself?" Tom furrowed his brows in concern, "if you're not feeling up to it, you should just raincheck,"

"I already told Bruce I'm going, so I should still go," Diana gently placed her hand on his face trying to assure him, "I'll be fine,"

"Okay…but if that idiot tries to pull anything funny-"

"Relax cowboy, I can handle myself," She patted his shoulder trying to calm him down and kissed him on the cheek, "I should head out,"

"Fine," He sighed and gave her a tight hug, "I love you,"

"I love you too," Diana laughed as he pouted.

* * *

-Gotham: 1 Hour Later-

Bruce walked around the room, trying to avoid repetitive conversations with socialites and politicians alike. He knew that his job as a co-host was to cater to these people, but he just felt suffocated. All he wanted to do was to go out onto the roof and get some fresh air, but this was his primary lifestyle now. The Batman was no longer needed as much as Bruce Wayne was. The world was changing fast, and he had to change with it. Gotham doesn't need a vigilante anymore, what it needs is someone who is politically capable and invested into fixing the core issues of the city from the inside out. Whatever Gotham needed, he would dedicate his time and being into becoming it.

He walked around some more, dodging women left and right telling them he'd come back to talk to them after grabbing a drink for himself. He could barely stand the smell of alcohol seeping through their skins as he weaved around them. Finally, Bruce saw the end of the massive crowd, where attendees who have just arrived started to mingle in with the crowd. The air already felt and smelled so much fresher here than it did a few feet back from where he came from. He took a deep breath and sighed before he walked out the entrance to the outdoor plaza.

The sight before him had captured his breath and held it captive in the back of his throat. Walking towards him was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes on. Diana, painted in a deep red with silver jewelry accentuating each and every divine feature of hers, was making her way towards him. She didn't notice him standing there until he cleared his throat. She looked up at him from the bottom of the stairwell, he was looking ever-so-handsome in his perfectly fitted designer tux. The black of the jacket a nice contrast against his glowing azure orbs. His hair was slicked back, making his chiseled jaw even more pronounced. Both of them were at lost for words, they looked into each other's eyes, captured by each other's beauty.

"You came alone?" Bruce started, blinking a few times to get himself out of his trance.

"Yeah, something came up at work," Diana gently tucked a stranded curl behind her ear, for some reason she felt slightly nervous. But something told her that Bruce was feeling the same way. She started to make her way up to the top of the stairs where he stood. As soon as she reached the top, they both leaned in for a quick hug. As they separated from the hug Diana saw Bruce had a gentle look in his eyes and a light smile on his face.

"What is it?" She asked, wondering if there was something going on,

"You look beautiful," his smile grew as he saw her cheeks start to turn a light pink.

"You don't look so bad yourself Mr. Wayne," Diana retaliated as she playfully tugged at his bowtie,

"Shall we?" Bruce lifted his elbow, gesturing for her to link her arm in his.

"We shall," She smiled as she put her arm through his. This time Bruce was caught off guard, she had smiled so angelically-he felt a slight wince in his expression as his heart started to feel a bit heavier. There was a pain that lingered in him, and he found that he was constantly reminding himself that they were just friends-that's all.

The two of them made their way into the ballroom, the crowds around them quickly turning their attention to the beautiful couple that had graced them that night. Diana heard Bruce's name being murmured across the ballroom, it was expected that the Gothamites would be huge gossips, but she didn't want it to affect her relationship with Tom. She was worried that people would start spreading rumors that she was Bruce's new toy. Bruce turned to look at how Diana was doing, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed in concern. He knew what was going through her mind, she was worried that people would misunderstand and that it would ultimately get back to her fiancé.

"Don't worry," Bruce tried to reassure her by joking around, "I'll make sure I leave with someone else tonight,"

She shot him a glare that made him chuckle, a reaction like that only made him want to tease her some more. It was strange to him, he only felt this way towards her. He felt that he could genuinely joke with her, and bring out a hidden version of him that he had shied away so he could be Batman and Bruce Wayne, Billionaire Playboy. He missed this feeling. More than he would ever like to admit.

They made their way towards the bar and Diana ordered herself some drinks. It's been awhile since she drank at a social gathering, it's usually wine and dine with Tom in their apartment.

"Sir, would you like anything to drink?" The middle aged bartender asked Bruce as he handed Diana her Scotch on the rocks.

"I'm okay, thank you though," Bruce watched as Diana drank the whole glass in one go. His eyebrows raised in surprise, he didn't recall Diana to be much of a drinker.

"Did you want another?" Bruce asked, and instantly received a nod from her. He signaled to the bartender to give Diana another round.

"It's just been a long week," Diana explained herself as she thanked the bartender for her second drink and began to quickly drink that one too, "It's also been awhile since I've been to a gathering like this,"

"Princess… Are you trying to tell me you have social anxiety?" Bruce chuckled as she gently placed her empty cup down on the bar table. He's never seen her like this before, it was quite the entertaining experience.

"Another?" Bruce questioned as she raised her hand and signaled for one more round, "You should take it slow Diana, the nights just begun,"

"I do what I want," She demanded as she took a straw and started to sip the drink this time. Bruce noticed how she started to sway slightly and her voice got a bit higher.

"Diana…Are you drunk?" Bruce questioned incredulously. He knew that she had lost her powers, but her Amazon physique should still be intact. She should be able to handle her liquor just fine.

"Potentially… My metabolism is still fast, so alcohol hits me…fast," She slurred slightly, "It'll pass though, I'll be fine,"

Bruce tried his best to refrain from laughing out loud, he tightened his lips and nodded his head trying to shake off the laughter. Never in his life did he ever imagine he'd see the Amazon Princess like this. When she still had her powers, she could drink a gallon of hard liquor and she'd be just fine.

"I guess you also lost your tolerance for alcohol," Bruce tried to grab her half empty glass away from her, but to no avail. She hugged it tightly against her chest knowing he was trying to steal her drink.

"I'm surprised you don't already know that Mr. Wayne," She glared at him playfully, "You know everything about everyone,"

He raised a brow at her statement,

"Question Bruce, and I promise this is a sober one," Diana cleared her throat preparing herself to ask him the question. Bruce waited, still expecting her to ask him a drunk question, "How come you never reached out to me? I mean, I know you know everything that's going on in my life, but how come… How come you never tried talking to me till now?"

His jaw clenched, he knew this was more of a personal question and he felt that this was a question she's been holding onto for a while now. The truth was, the answer would only hurt both of them and he wasn't sure if he was willing to have this conversation with her. Especially not when she was tipsy.

"I just feel like, you only came to me only because you needed me. That's all. If you didn't need me, would you have ever even talked to me again?" Her voice started to sound clearer and more stable, she was sobering up by the second. He also heard the pain in her voice, "Two years Bruce, it's been two long years, and I've never felt more useless and powerless in my life than when I became a civilian and when… when you just stopped finding a use for me,"

Bruce saw the crystals start to form in the corner of Diana's eyes, her eyes glazed over in a thin sheet of tears as she tried so hard to hold down her pain. He felt a bolt of guilt shoot through ever nerve in his body, he never knew that she felt that way. He never wanted her to feel that way, he never wanted to hurt her. Instinctively, he reached out his hand to the back of her head and pulled her quickly and tightly into a tight embrace. His heart pounded, his throat felt like exploding from the guilt that seeped through him. It took her a second, but she finally reciprocated the hug, holding him tightly against her. Missing the warmth of her best friend.

"I never meant to Diana," His voice was soft as he murmured into her hair, "I never meant to hurt you, I was selfish-I felt the only way for me to move on was to keep you at a distance. I ran, and even though I knew I shouldn't, I ran anyway,"

He felt her choke up and a warm droplet run from her cheek onto his jaw. He had hurt her so badly, broken her and made her feel so unwanted. He didn't mean to. He thought it would be best if they parted ways now. Just because she had lost her powers and became normal, didn't mean he was. He even broke his own code, and stopped looking into her, he didn't know anything about her other than the law firm. He had ghosted her the past two years, mostly because he knew it would hurt him more than anything to watch her live her life without him in it. It was for the better, or at least that was what he told himself until tonight. But deep down, Bruce knew that it was already too late. Things were past the point of retribution and redemption. He would come back into her life, but not as another more than a mere friend and colleague. He would have to force himself to be content watching the love of his life be with someone else.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's a quick update. It's shorter, but definitely juicier.  
Thanks again for all the reviews, favs and follows. It keeps me going strong! :)

Enjoy!

 **"There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love."**

-Martin Luthor King Jr.

* * *

-Gotham: Few Minutes Later-

"Here's some water," Bruce handed Diana a glass. The two of them were still hanging out by the bar at the charity event. Moments ago, she had just confronted him and asked why he ghosted her for the past two years. Bruce had apologized for his actions, but he still felt that it wasn't enough-especially not after seeing how much he had hurt her. The two of them sat there in a comforting silence, it had been so long since either of them felt that they could open up to each other even the slightest bit. Before anything else, the two of them were best friends, ones that used to confide in each other when there was no one else to go to.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have drank that quickly," She said softly as she circled her index finger around the rim of the glass. She felt embarrassed for her actions and for crying in front of Bruce, but some part of her was glad that she was finally able to confront him about it. Their partnership would crumble if she held onto those personal feelings, she needed to find a release for them. She had just hoped that she didn't hurt Bruce or scare him away too much.

"Happens to the best of us," Bruce gave her a reassuring smile, she replied with a smile of her own, "I just want you to know Diana..."

"-I know, and you're forgiven Bruce…for now," She cut him off knowing what he was going to say,

"And thank you for that, but there's something else I have to talk to you about," As he spoke, she noticed his expression turning into a serious one, "I'm having second doubts about all of this,"

"All of this?" She furrowed her brows, "Why? Is it because of what I said? If so... Bruce those are things of the past, I'm over it,"

"No, I'm referring to this whole campaign. I went over to talk to Sim and I'm just not sure anymore," He tried to refrain from getting her more agitated, he felt that they would need to address their personal issues in baby steps. There was just so much for them to figure out, so much for him to try and fix and mend.

"You? Not sure? What's going on Bruce, that's completely unlike you," her voice was laced with concern, "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, I just need to look into it some more before I know for sure if this is the right thing to do," He let out a deep sigh, she had trusted him and decided to join him on this campaign. Up until a few days ago, he was sure that he was doing the right thing and that this campaign for equality was their best option. But now he was starting to second doubt it all, and she was in the crossfire of it. Her firm basically disbanded because of him, and he felt the guilt start to stir in the pit of his stomach once more. He dragged her into this, and she was bound to pay some repercussions because of him. All he could think at that moment was that he should've been 100% sure of it all before he came looking for her, but he rushed it. He wanted her to be a part of it all from the beginning. Bruce knew that he should've have waited for her own benefit-but some part of him couldn't hold himself back.

"I trust your judgement Bruce, just keep me…," She started to trail off when she saw a familiar face walking towards her, "…Tom?"

Bruce turned around slightly to see who she was calling out to. A tall mad dressed in a dark blue tuxedo was making his way to where they stood by the bar. The man was around the same height as Bruce, his posture was straight and he exuded charisma.

"I know I said this earlier, but you look absolutely gorgeous," Tom walked straight past Bruce and towards Diana. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug before leaning in for a kiss. Bruce turned his head away and down to avoid watching them exchange intimacies, by now he's gathered that this 'Tom' was Diana's new fiancé. As the two separated from the kiss, Diana glanced at Bruce-she felt like she was outwardly cringing from the overly affectionate public display.

"I thought you couldn't make it," Diana cleared her throat and asked Tom genuinely curious as to why he was there.

"I couldn't, but that patient I told you about didn't make it," He replied gingerly, "So I figured instead of moping around in our apartment, I should just come here and share a dance with my beautiful fiancée,"

The couple shared a brief smile with one another before Diana turned her attention to Bruce and decided now would be the time to introduce her new boss to her fiancé, "Bruce, this is Tom,"

Tom quietly sized the other man up before shooting him a big grin and extended his hand to shake, "The infamous Bruce Wayne…Name's Tom, nice to meet you,"

Bruce also took a second to evaluate Tom before returning his gesture and shaking his hand with a firm grip, "'Infamous'…what a great title to put on my headstone, it's nice to meet you Tom,"

Diana didn't know if she still had alcohol lingering in her system or if she was misreading the extreme amounts of tension and testosterone being thrown between the two men. Regardless, the last thing she wanted was for her fiancé and boss/best friend to go at each other's throats. Tom already disliked Bruce just based on what he saw in the tabloids, who's to say he won't learn to hate him in the next hour or so?

"So, were you two talking about work?" Tom looked between the both of them, for some reason Bruce gave him this feeling of being inferior. He didn't like the feeling, especially when he got it from some rich snob.

"Yes actually, could give us some privacy," Diana lightly placed her hand on Tom's shoulder, indicating that he should leave the two to talk. However much he didn't like it, he took the hint and smiled.

"I'll be back in a few," before walking away, he leaned into her and gave her a quick but passionate kiss. Bruce tried his best not to let his jealousy or annoyance show, but found it hard to when he knew that Tom was doing this intentionally. He was making sure Bruce knew that Diana belonged to him, he was marking his territory. Bruce let out the breath he was holding when Tom finally turned to walk away from them.

"He's not my biggest fan," Bruce quipped, which in turn got Diana to laugh a little,

"He's just one of many men you've managed to fool into believing you're a womanizer," She smiled, knowing deep down that Bruce was the opposite of that. Tom had nothing to worry about, Bruce wouldn't try to do anything funny. But there was no way for her to explain that to him, he would only knew Bruce as the playboy millionaire; and not the Bruce that she knew.

"Well, I hope it won't cause any issues with you working with me," he was genuinely concerned, "Does he know about your past?"

"No, he doesn't and I really hope to keep it that way," Diana replied, she saw Bruce's eyes shift as he started to process this information. Tom didn't know anything about Diana being Wonder Woman, or that she was a Princess from Themyscira. Bruce was concerned, that was a huge part of her identity and of who she was and is. But he also felt a tinge of jealousy, the man was able to lead this normal life with her, no villains or superheroes-just man and woman.

"What were we talking ab-," Diana start asking when suddenly she felt the ground tremble and the lights in the ballroom started to flicker on and off, "What's happening?"

"Dick, what's going on?" Bruce whispered into his com-link. He soon received a reply from his ward,

"Not sure, I'll keep you posted. In the meantime you should evacuate quickly just in case. I'll set off the fire alarms and water in 15 seconds," Dick typed away furiously at the bat computer. There were no reports of earthquakes or tremors, so what was happening?

"Bruce…look!" Diana pointed her finger towards the upper balcony, where a large fire engulfed the section. The entire ball room was filled with screams and shouts as people started to stampede towards the exit. The fire alarm started to go off and the sprinkler systems were released, turning the ballroom into absolute mayhem. Bruce's eyes raced back and forth as he quickly scanned the area looking for a clue as to where the fire came from. Suddenly to his left, he heard an explosion as another fire erupted, but this time it was on the ground level. Bruce instinctively grabbed Diana's waist and pulled her towards him, trying to protect her and ensure that she wouldn't get separated from him.

"Do you see anything?" Diana grew with worry, where were these fires coming from?

"Found him," His eyes were deadly focused on a man who stood on the opposite end of the room, his hands were full of what appeared to be make shift Molotovs, "it's Garfield Lynns,"

"Firefly?!" Dick exclaimed over the comlink, "What's he doing there?"

"I'm not sure," Bruce clenched his jaw as he calculated what his next move would be. Dick would never make here in time, he needed to figure it out on his own.

"Bruce, I have to go look for Tom," Diana said calmly, even though she didn't have her powers anymore, her experiences in the league had enabled her to remain calm and clear-minded in situations like these, "I'll be back as soon as I find him,"

"Find him and leave the building," Bruce didn't look at her, he was still focusing on the pyromaniac that was setting the charity event into ablaze,

"I'm coming right back," Diana stated firmly, he better not expect her to turn tail and run now that she didn't have her powers anymore. She was still more than capable of taking out villains. He finally turned his focus to her, he looked into her eyes which overflowed with determination. Of all people, Bruce knew exactly how stubborn Diana could be. If she was set on returning to fight alongside him, she was going to do exactly that.

"Hurry," He simply stated as he turned his attention back to Garfield who was getting ready to throw another Molotov. Half of the room was evacuated already, but the other half would take longer. The room was getting smoker and hotter, the flames grew rapidly around them.

"C'mon, don't tell me Gotham's Elite is afraid of a little campfire," Garfield sneered as he ran his gloved hand through his stark white hair. Bruce noticed how he was dressed up in a tuxedo, which must mean he made the Molotov's on site and somehow snuck in the grenades. He wasn't entirely sure what his motive for being here was though. The pyromaniac started making his way towards the center of the ball room. The crowd by the door started panicking and screaming louder as they watched the murderous man inch towards them.

"I just don't get it, you guys are so willing to spend thousands of dollars to throw these little 'charity' parties, when really… you could just give all that money to people who deserve it," Garfield continued to talk as he waved an lit Molotov in one hand, "I just can't stand the sight of that,"

Bruce snuck around the ballroom floor, he made sure to stay hidden behind the pillars as he tried to close in on Garfield. There were still too many people around for him to utilize any drastic methods of takedowns. He was planning on sticking to the basic, sneak up from behind and knock out plan. The smoke started to fill his lungs and he did all he could to prevent himself from coughing and revealing his location.

"And so, I burn it all up in flames," Garfield smirks as gets ready to throw the lit Molotov towards the crowd by the exit. Bruce lunged towards Garfield and tackles him down onto the floor, however he sees the bottle slip out of his hand and into the air. His instincts kick in and he quickly reaches out his left hand to grab the explosive bottle before it hits the floor.

* * *

-Seconds later-

Diana was walking Tom towards the exit when she heard a loud yell of pain come from the center of the room. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, there was fire surrounding them, and she couldn't get a clear visual of who it was that yelled. But she recognized that voice. Without thinking twice, she bolted towards the direction she heard it from. There were flames everywhere, she eventually couldn't avoid them and run around them. Instead, she ran right through them. The searing pain of the flames as they whipped her skin made it nearly impossible for her to keep going, but she had to. Bruce was hurt, and she needed to make sure he was okay. She clenched her teeth and did everything in her power not to scream in pain as she felt her skin start to burn. The ends of her dress started to light on fire, and she quickly decided to just rip off the lower part of her dress. She continued her trek through the flames in search of Bruce, she refused to leave him there.

"Bruce!" She screamed, her voice was hoarse from the smoke, "Bruce!"

"Diana," she heard him call her name faintly from her right side. She quickly made her way towards his voice. She saw two figures laying on the floor, one was Garfield knocked out and the other was Bruce lying flat on his stomach. She ran to Bruce's side and tried to turn him over so she could assess the damage.

"Hang on okay? I'm going to flip you," As she turned him as quickly and painlessly as possible, she could barely contain her gasp and shock. His entire left arm and upper chest was charred from flames, a lot of blood was oozing out of his gashes. She looked around to look for clues as to what might've happened to him. Her eyes landed on an empty Molotov bottle that lay a few feet away from them. She pieced it together, he had caught the bottle before it fell on the floor and the liquor spilled out and onto his arm which caused it to light on fire. He was still alive, but he was badly injured. She needed to get him out of there and into a hospital as soon as possible.

"Diana," Bruce whispered weakly. Diana kneeled down to him and placed her hand on his cheek trying to comfort him, "Take him…Take Garfield,"

Her eyes widened in shock, he was telling her to take the pyromaniac who started all of this instead of him to safety. She fought back the tears that bit behind her eyes, she could never leave him behind but he would never forgive her if she saved him instead of another person. If only she had her powers, she could easily carry the both of them out safely. But now, since she was powerless it be lucky if she even got one of them out safely.

"No Bruce, I can't leave you here," She whispered, her voice cracking up at the thought of abandoning him, "Don't ask that of me,"

"Please," He begged before he coughed, his face winced in excruciating pain. They were running out of time, Diana needed to make a choice. He looked up at her, his usual piercing blue eyes were becoming more and more dull with every breath he took. She shut her eyes tightly and bit down on her lower lip as only one thought crossed her mind, 'he'll never forgive me,'


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! I'm back for another quick update. Nobody hates a cliffhanger more than I do, so I felt it was only right for me to do a quickie for you guys.

It's a lot shorter than usual, but better this than nothing at all. Enjoy!

 **"I'm getting hotter, cause the world is getting colder,"**

-Tupac (Here's to hoping I can still keep my 10 internet points :P)

* * *

The ballroom was filled with ceiling high flames and the smoke made it nearly impossible to see past your nose. Bruce cough violently as he tried to lift himself up off the floor to no avail. His entire left side felt as though someone peeled his skin off and poured burning liquid all over it. He laid there on the floor, feeling helpless and hopeless. He was hoping that Diana got out safely with Garfield. He smirked to himself, who was he kidding? All that mattered was that she was safe. He felt the tug of a luring slumber, it pulled on his eyelids, beckoning for them to close. The licks of the flames that surrounded him started to feel comforting and warm, no longer clawing at him. This was it, tomorrow, the Gotham Gazette would report that the prince of Gotham had died a hero. Tomorrow, Dick would set out into the night as Batman and the legacy would continue. Tomorrow, he imagined a Princess crying for her knight. Bruce slowly opened his eyes, the sight of Diana crying was something he couldn't bear to imagine, especially when it was over him. A surge of determination started to flow through his body. He needed to get out of here for her, he needed to survive for her. He needed to make it back to her. Bruce clenched his fists, biting past the excruciating pain that shot up his arm. He forced himself to rise, to get up and to live. He would do it for her. He grunted and strained every muscle in his body as he dragged his own body through the untamed flames. Only one thought played in his mind over and over again-Diana. His pace quickened as the rhythm of her name beat with ever beat of his heart. She was the only thing left that drove him to survive. He needed to live, to see her smile, see her laugh, and to tell her how much she meant to him. His body suddenly stopped moving, his heart racing to the point where it felt like it stopped beating altogether. Tears were met with flames as he stood there with his vision of hope laying lifelessly on the floor.

"Diana!" He cried out as the world around him spiraled into darkness.

"Bruce? Hey, it's okay I'm right here," her voice lulled him away from his nightmare. He felt warm fingers caress his cheek as he slowly opened his eyes. It was bright and his vision was blurred, he had a hard time making out the shapes that surrounded him.

"I'm right here Bruce," He felt her breath on his cheek, her sweet and alluring scent set a comforting blanket over him as he slowly came back to reality. As his eyes finally started to adjust they became focused on two vibrant spheres that gazed back into his.

"Diana?" He tried to reach out and touch her face with his hand, he wanted to make sure this was real life. Seconds ago, he had lost her…it had felt so real to him, but now she was here sitting right in front of him. He felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm and into his chest, his mouth opened as he violently gasped for air.

"Try not to move, you're injured badly," She gently lowered his arm back to his side, her eyes were ridden with concern, "Did you have a bad nightmare?"

"Yeah," His throat still burned from the smoke. Diana reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a cup of water for him to drink. She moved closer to him from the edge of bed to help him drink from the straw.

"Your parents?" She asked knowing that most of his nightmares were plagued with images of his parent's murder.

"No, it was about you," he stopped drinking and slightly turned his head to the side. She had opened the drapes of his room at the mansion and let the sunlight seep into his room. It had been awhile since he let his room be naturally lit like that, he forgot how comfortable his own room could be.

"What happened?"

"You died," She noticed how his jaw ticked as the words escaped his lips. His eyes met hers once again, this time she saw the hurt in them.

"Well good thing it was just a dream," She tried to lighten the mood up as she placed the cup of water back on the table.

"Where's Garfield?" Bruce saw how Diana's eyes dimmed the slightest bit at hearing his question. He felt that he already knew the answer to his question. If he was here alive, then that meant Garfield was amongst the ashes of the ballroom. The anger started to swell in him even though he knew he shouldn't allow it to, Diana only did what any person would've. But she shouldn't have. She should've saved Garfield like he had asked her to.

"He's in the hospital, Dick says he'll be okay," her words were barely audible. Bruce took a second to gather his thoughts again. Both him and Garfield were alive, how was that possible? There was no way for Diana to carry the both of them out of there.

She knew his mind was racing, trying to figure out what happened. She also knew she should explain it to him, but she was scared and worried about the repercussions. Sure, both of them were alive but they got extremely lucky.

"How?" Bruce asked the question she was dreading. She took a deep breath before she tried to explain it all to him.

"I carried you out of there," She carefully explained, watching the scowl start to form in his features, "Dick was able to save Garfield,"

Her short explanation was met with an awkward silence. She waited patiently for him to lash out on her and to tell her to never come back ever again. Bruce wasn't the type of person to put his own life in front of anybody else's, even the pyromaniac who had just tried to commit mass murder. He would never forgive her for choosing to save him over another person's. But she knew that she had made the right decision, she didn't do anything wrong. Nobody except for Bruce himself would disapprove of her saving his life. He was far too valuable as a person and as a hero. And if saving his life meant that he would abandon her once again, then it was more than worth it. Better alive and pissed than dead and missed.

"Thank you," she barely heard him, his voice was so soft. Once the words processed in her head, she raised an eyebrow in shock and confusion. Had he just thanked her for saving his life?

"Well…that's a first," she said slowly, unsure if this was some sort of trick or if Bruce had hurt his head as well and suffered from some sort of neurological injury, "You're not mad?"

"Of course I am Diana," His voice was stronger this time, "I just know that I would've done the same,"

Diana found herself lost for words, Bruce was pissed nonetheless but he was thankful that she had saved him. She also felt that he was opening up to her more, admitting that he would've done the same for her. Her heart fluttered at the thought.

"So you're not going to be all fussy and push me away?" Her question earned a glare from him, "I just want to make sure,"

"He's alive, there's no point in being upset over it," he tried to brush it off. He didn't want to have to explain to her that in his dream all he wanted to do was survive that fire to be with her. That would open up Pandora's Box of past emotions and vast amounts of pain for the both of them. Besides, she was engaged to another man. He suddenly noticed the bandaged that were wrapped around her arms and legs. Reaching out with his good arm, he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled it towards him. Slowly, he started to unwrap her arm, trying to assess how bad the damage was. Diana watched as he gently unraveled her burned arm.

"It's not as bad as it looks, I promise," she tried to waver his concern, but saw the worry in his eyes as he took in the site of her blooded and burned skin.

"Thank you," He whispered, she swore she could hear his voice crack as he whispered it once more, "Thank you,"

She felt her heart catch in her throat as she felt like breaking out into tears. He saw what she went through to save him, and he was in pain thinking that he was the cause of it. But he wasn't, she did this on her own-she was the one who decided to go in looking for him. She had to, there was absolutely no way she was going to abandon him there. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't do everything possible to save him.

"Bruce, I would do it again if I had to," she murmured to him, "again and again,"

He looked up into her azure eyes, his chest tightened as a wave of emotions overtook him. The last time he had felt such intense emotions was when he told her that they could never be together, and when he saw for the first time exactly how much he had hurt her.

"Diana, I…." He started, but was interrupted when someone knocked on the door, "Who is it?"

"It's me sir, I have a gentleman named Tom on the phone asking for Miss Diana," Alfred explained from the other side of the door, "Shall I have the call transferred to your room?"

Bruce turned to look at Diana, she looked back at him and gave a small apologetic smile before she replied to Alfred, "Yes Alfred, if you could,"

"Of course miss," they heard him retreat to transfer the call over. A few seconds later, the phone by the nightstand rang. Diana picked it up and answered the call.

"Hi Tom, sorry my phone was on silent," she got up off the edge of the bed and walked towards the window. Bruce watched her as she created her own silhouette standing by the opened drapes. Her back was to him as she talked to her fiancé, something about dinner tonight and her heading back soon. He couldn't keep up with the rest of the conversation as he started to drift into the realm of sleep once more. All he had hoped was that he wouldn't dream of her leaving him again, and that instead he would wake up to her beautiful blue eyes once more.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys, sorry for the pause between updates. Here's a lengthy one for you guys. Just a little heads up, I like the idea of Jason Todd and Donna Troy together so you'll see me pair them up in some of my fanfics. I'm sorry if it rubs some of you guys the wrong way, I just think they'd be great together. Let me know what you think!

Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favs! Enjoy! :)

* * *

-New York: One Week Later-

Tom seemed to be a bit off since even before their dinner. Diana felt that it had to do something with her visiting Bruce every day. But she really just wanted to make sure that he was getting better, the stubborn man refused to take his medication. It had been a few days since she started working at Wayne Enterprises. She rarely worked in the giant office that Bruce had given her and Jack to work in. Instead she found it nicer to work in the Wayne manor study, besides it would easier for her to talk to Bruce if she came across anything that needed discussing. Jack didn't mind her absence in the office, he told her that if she ever needed him he would be in the technology wing. He was always more interested in that sort of thing. However, Jack wasn't adjusting as well as Diana had originally expected, it seemed as though the separation of the firm and the partners leaving had broken his will. She could only hope that he'd be back to his old cheerful self. There were a lot of changes that took place over the past several weeks, and she knew that it was starting to affect her relationship with Tom.

"Is everything okay?" Diana asked cautiously as she used her fork to grab a piece of potato from her plate. Tom looked up from his dinner, his eyes looked tired and stressed. She started to feel bad that she hadn't been there all that much for him, they were both so busy.

"Yeah...I'm whatever," he muttered, she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was lying.

"Did you want to talk about it?" She stopped picking at her food and gave him her full attention.

"You're not going to want to hear this, but I…" He paused as he sat back in his chair and sighed before continuing, "…I don't want you hanging around Bruce anymore. I just don't like it, call it jealous or whatever. I just want it to stop,"

His reasoning didn't faze her, but the way he had said it bothered her a bit. She understood that he felt uncomfortable, however she also felt that he could've approached it a bit better. Or at least asked her to, instead of making it sound more like a demand. She never liked being told what to do. Diana knew that this conversation was bound to come up at some point, it was only a matter of time. She spent almost every afternoon at Bruce's. Work was the excuse, but if she was to be completely it honest, she enjoyed his company. They talked about vast amounts of things, political to philosophical-there was no end to their interests and topics of conversation. Her relationship with Tom was good, but she was never allowed to truly be herself. All the lies she told him and all the things she never bothered even telling him...She never realized how lonely it made her feel around him. It wasn't an issue until now.

"Diana?" He beckoned her back into their conversation. He worried that he had hit a nerve and she was upset at him for what he said. But really, he was just being honest with her. If they wanted their relationship and marriage later on to work, they would have to be able to openly confront each other like this.

She looked at him, her expression calm and understanding. She knew what she had to do. Bruce was her boss and friend, but that was it. If needed, she knew she could pull away from him even though it'd be one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

"I'll keep my distance, but I won't stop working with him," she said determined to try and make things work with both Tom and Bruce. She decided that she would tell Tom the truth about her sometime soon. She had realized there was no way for them to wok out unless they knew everything about one another.

"But that's all it is, just work right?" he asked to make sure. Diana just nodded her head, not wanting to discuss this any further in that moment. She worried that Bruce wouldn't take it well, and he'd just end up pushing her away again.

"Thanks for understanding babe, I love you" he picked up his utensils and continued eating his dinner. Diana sat quietly and watched him eat. She knew what she had to do, but she started to question why. She finally got Bruce back as her friend after two years, but now she was being asked to sacrifice all of that again. Was this their fate?

* * *

-Gotham: 2 Hours Later-

Diana walked up to the grand doors of Wayne manor. Bruce's home had always amazed her. It wasn't just some large and expensive structure, there were so many fine details to it that gave it such a historical presence. It wasn't exactly homey, but it wasn't foreign either. Every time she came, she felt that she experienced a new story within its walls. Her thoughts were interrupted when the doors opened and two young men came walking out. Dick and Jason were in the middle of a very animated conversation about motorcycles. They soon noticed that they were graced by the presence of the Amazon Princess and smiled brightly as they greeted her.

"Diana! What are you doing here?" Dick was especially happy to see her. He leaned in for a hug which Diana reciprocated.

"Came to see how Bruce was doing," she replied, half lying and half telling the truth. She came to talk to Bruce about not seeing each other so often. Jason also leaned in for a hug and she returned it. Wanting to change the conversation she asked him,

"Are you taking care of my little sister?" She watched as Jason's cheeks turned a light pink. Dick laughed as he watched the exchange.

"Of course I am," Jason muttered silently embarrassed and caught off guard by Diana's pointed question. He and Donna had been seeing each other for a few months now. They were an unexpected couple, but one that perfectly matched each other. Jason was always a rash and passionate guy, while Donna was similar in her ferocity and curiosity. The one thing the two of them had in common was the underlying desire to please their mentors. Jason, behind all the grit and hate, just wanted Bruce to care about and approve of him. Donna, behind all of her desires to be just like Diana, had wanted her sister to approve of her own individual self. The two of them had their own demons to confront, but together they were better. Together, they were able to accept themselves and no longer look to their mentors to help define their happiness.

"She'd beat him up if he didn't treat her right, don't worry Diana," Dick teased as he lightly punched Jason in the arm. A sweet smile had formed on her lips as she watched the two young men bicker, they seemed happier than ever before. She knew Jason would be a good fit for her sister. She had her worries at first since he had a mind of his own for a bit, but with Bruce's guidance he was able to prove to everyone that he was still a good willed hero at heart. The last time she talked to Donna, her sister had told her how great things were between the two of them. She was happy for her.

"Anyways, I gotta bounce. It was nice seeing you Diana, I'll tell Donna you said hello," Jason said his farewell as he walked towards his red and black motorcycle. Dick and Diana waved him goodbye before turning back to each other.

"How's Bruce doing?" she asked Dick as the two of them started to make their way into the manor.

"He's good, his scars are healing quickly thanks to your Amazon medicine," he held open the door for her as she walked in,

"Almost like magic," she replied jokingly, receiving a chuckle from the young man.

"Diana, can I be real with you for a second?" he stopped walking and asked her. Once he received a cautious nod from her he continued, "You being around here, and just coming back into Bruce's life... it's the best damn thing that's happened to him in the last couple of years. Honestly speaking, he's so much happier and less of an asshole with you around,"

Diana felt a lump start to form in the back of her throat. Dick had chosen the worst time to bring up this conversation with her, she had just come here to tell Bruce that she could no longer come over or see him as often. Her steady resolve started to crumble, hearing Dick tell her his honest opinion made her feel hopeful.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to pressure you or make you feel burdened," Dick saw how her expression had changed at his previous statement, "But I just wanted to let you know that things are better with you here... he's better with you here,"

"Thanks Dick, I really appreciate you telling me this," Diana genuinely thanked him, it was nice to hear these things. Especially since Bruce would never be the type of person to tell her them. She would always have to guess with him, but for once it was nice to hear a third party's opinion. She didn't have the heart to tell Dick that she wouldn't be around much anymore. Hopefully Bruce will explain it to him, or Dick comes to his own understanding of everything.

"Anytime Diana, he's upstairs in his bedroom," he said, knowing where she was headed to next, "I'll see you around, don't be a stranger,"

The young man smiled as he turned to walk down the hall, leaving Diana at the foot of the stairs. Diana watched him walk away before making her own way up the stairs to where Bruce was. All she wanted to do was to turn back around and run away from her current situation. She didn't want to have to keep Bruce at arm's length, all she wanted was to spend time with him. But for the sake of her growing relationship with Tom, she'd have to do this. It was terrible that she felt like she had to choose one or the other, but Tom had been there for her. He was a constant in her life the moment he entered it. Yes, she used to love Bruce, but now she loves Tom. If things went differently 2 years ago, maybe she'd be pushing Tom away and not Bruce. But that wasn't the case, and now she was stuck with pushing Bruce away.

Diana took a deep breath before she knocked on his wooden bedroom door. A few seconds passed before she heard a reply instructing her to come in. As she opened his door she quickly felt the need to shield her eyes, but she also felt it near impossible to do so. Bruce was just in a pair of dark grey sweats, doing pull-ups on the gym equipment he had temporarily installed in his room while he was in recovery. He was glistening in sweat as he moved on do to more callisthenic training and did stairs on the pull up bar. Every move he made had created a cascading motion in the ripples of his lean and well-built body. Diana subconsciously swallowed the lump in her throat before clearing it to get herself together. 'It's just a nice body, not like I haven't seen nice bodies before,' she told herself trying to break out of her trance.

Bruce did one more set of stair climbers before he pushed himself off the bar. He was breathing heavily as he walked over to his chair to grab his towel and drank water. Diana saw his scars in a better light, as Dick said, the burns were healing rapidly and they looked better. But they were still scarred, Bruce shouldn't be working out like that just yet, but knowing him he probably refused to just relax. He started making his way over to Diana.

"Princess, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked curiously, it was the middle of the night and he wasn't expecting her for a couple of days. He used his towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Your burns are healing nicely," she wanted to avert the conversation for as long as possible. She wanted this moment to last, she didn't know if after tonight she'd ever be able to talk to him like they usually did.

"Yes, thanks to you," he turned to look down at his chest and left arm. The medicine Diana had taught him to make was a miracle, usually an injury like that would've taken months to heal even with the technology and medicine he had. But thanks to her, he was healing much quicker. He turned to look back up at her, and was slightly startled to meet her blue eyes. They looked distressed and concerned, he didn't want her to worry about him anymore than she already did. He asked her, "Everything okay?"

"Of course, I just wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing," she smiled uneasily, and knew when Bruce raised an eyebrow that he had already caught onto her lie.

"No other reason?" the detective in him started to surface. He took a couple of steps closer to her to try and determine what was going on in her head.

"No, of course not," she started to get defensive, she didn't really like it when he went all Sherlock Holmes on her. Made her feel on the edge.

"Gotham's a long way from New York City, especially if it was just to check in on me," something about the way she got all defensive with him, made him want to push her buttons a bit more. Bruce secretly loved watching Diana get all flustered, it made him feel as though only he knew how to get to her. He took another step towards her, trying to get more of a reaction out of her. It's been days since he's been out of the manor, the detective in him was itching for a good mystery to solve.

"It's not that bad of a drive," she muttered, running out of ways to deflect the conversation.

"Diana..." Bruce's voice beckoned for her to tell him the truth. He noticed her turn slightly and looked away from him, there was something bothering her. "What's wrong?"

"Bruce...I...," she felt herself shy away, confronting him was a lot harder than she expected it to be. It didn't help that he caught her off guard with his shirt off and all that. She mentally shook her head trying to stay focused and on topic. He took another step towards her and now they were only a couple of feet away from one another.

"What is it?" His deep voice was dripping with concern,

"Tom wants us to stop meeting up like this...," she started to say, her voice shook a little. It took Bruce a second to process what she had said. If it bothered him, she couldn't tell- his expression remained the same.

"And what did you want?" His eyes pierced into hers, waiting to see any signs that would give away her own desires.

"I agree with him, it's better if we only meet to work and nothing else," she tried her best to keep calm, not to give away the fact that she didn't want this at all. She knew Bruce was watching her intently, looking for anything that would signal that she was lying to him. After observing her for a few more seconds he lowered his eyes and nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay, I understand," he simply stated. She could tell he was a little upset, disappointed even. But there was nothing she could do about it, this was supposed to be their goodbye as friends.

"Thanks Bruce... I'll see you on Monday in the office," She quickly turned to walk away, not wanting to stick around any longer. She felt herself losing her own resolve. Seeing Bruce hurt and upset would only make her want to care for him and be there for him. For the sake of her relationship with Tom and for her own self, she would have to walk out that door and never come back. She would only see Bruce in the office for short periods of time and that was it. That was for the rest of their lives.

"Diana," She stopped reaching for the door when she heard her name being whispered from his lips. She stood there with her back to him, knowing everything she came here to do would crumble if she saw the pain in his eyes. She could hear his light footsteps as he slowly walked towards her, her heart began racing faster and faster with every second that passed by. Suddenly she felt his arms gently wrap around from behind and envelope her into a warm embrace. She held her breath, afraid to make a sound, afraid she'd break her will and let the tears fall. She finally had him back in her life, but she was letting him go on her own accord now. She closed her eyes trying to fight the tears that pushed the back of her lids. As she stood there letting him embrace her, she felt a faint heart beat start to sync up with her own rapidly beating one.

"Thank you...For everything," his voice was soft and quiet against her hair. Bruce struggled to let go of her. He knew that once she walked out that door, there was a chance he'd never be able to be friends with her ever again. He understood why Tom had asked this of her, but he just wanted to make sure that this was what Diana wanted. She shouldn't have to make any more sacrifices in her life, she had already lost so many. He just wanted her to finally be happy, even if that meant he wouldn't be there to see it for himself.

Bruce felt her shoulders shudder in his arms, she started to lightly shake as he felt tears fall onto his arms. His jaw clenched as he realized she was crying in his arms. Had he hurt her again? Should he have just let her go? He started to hate himself for doing this to her again. It was just like two years ago when he thought he was protecting her and doing what was right by letting her go. He didn't want her to hurt because of him…that was the last thing he ever wanted. He tried to gently turn her so she was facing him now. Her eyes were marred with pain and showed exactly how much she was hurting on the inside. Diana turned her head slightly, looking up at him and letting him gaze straight into her heart as she gingerly smiled at him and confessed,

"I don't want to lose you again,"

Bruce felt his heart stop and his own resolve crumble. He felt all of time freeze as he forever engraved the painting of her broken self into the back of his mind. He never wanted to hurt her like this ever again, he never wanted to have to see her look at him that way. He never wanted to let her go. On an impulse, he seized her perfect lips into his. He drank all her sorrows and everything that had ever hurt her as he kissed her.

Diana had first been taken by surprise by his sudden kiss, but it only took one beat of her heart before she started to return his kiss. It felt so right, their lips perfectly synced up just as their breathing had. She kissed him back, gently. But the years of pent up desire and lust had pushed both of them to want more. Their kiss grew more passionate and alive as they offered each other their hidden desires for one another. She pulled him in closer to her by tightening her arms around his neck. Knowing she wanted this as much as he had, he lifted her up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. Bruce lightly pushed her back up against the wall as he deepened their kiss. His hands cupping her waist as he held her against him. Everything felt so right, the passion, the desire, the kiss, the emotions-everything except the timing. As if the both of them knew what was running through their minds, they broke the kiss. Both of them breathing rapidly, Bruce leaned his forehead against hers as he tried to deescalate the situation. His eyes were ablaze with desire as he gazed into her own fiery ones.

"As much as I'd love to continue this..." he started as he spoke between breaths of air,

"...I have to talk to Tom," she finished for him, knowing that after tonight things were never going to be the same for any of them. She wanted this with Bruce, more than anything. Even before Tom this is what she wanted, and she felt terrible that Tom was in the middle of all of this, but it felt so right for her to be with Bruce. It felt different this time, she wasn't worried that Bruce would leave her. Everything felt as though the pieces were finally fitting together for the two of them.

Bruce let her down gently. He didn't want to, but he would have to let her leave to be able to figure things out with Tom. Some part of him felt guilty that it took him this long to finally allow himself to show her how he really felt about her. He was about to break up their engagement, but a selfish part of him kept justifying it by saying that this was what was better for her. This is what she wanted as well. He couldn't bear the thought of her walking down the aisle and into some other man's arms. She was meant to be with him, and it took him so long to realize that, but he finally did. All that mattered now was that she return to him so they could finally be together.

Diana looked at him with a loving look that glistened in her eyes. She smiled softly as she placed her hand on his cheek. He loved her as much as she loved him, she realized it now, but she felt as though she's been knowing it for so many years now. He returned her gaze with a grin and they started to lean in to each other for another kiss. But Diana stopped it by placing her index finger on his lips. Bruce looked at her in surprise before breaking out in a chuckle. He nodded in silent understanding.

"Will I be seeing you later tonight?" he asked, knowing that after her talk with Tom she'd most likely need a place to stay. He already didn't want to let her go, the idea of her leaving his side scared him.

"Perhaps," she teased as she turned around to open the door and walked out. The closed the door behind her and raced down the stairs. Her heart was pounding, she had butterflies in her stomach. This was finally happening, her unrequited feelings for Bruce were finally being reciprocated. She never realized how much she still wanted this until tonight. When she first walked into this mansion she was determined to let him, and now she was walking out knowing she'll never have to live without him ever again. Her heart was racing nonstop, but her mind only had one thing in mind-she was finally Bruce's and he was finally hers.

* * *

-New York City: 1 Hour Later-

Diana's heart was pounding for a whole new reason now. She was standing in front of her own apartment which she resided in for a year now, and she felt like a complete stranger- an intruder of some sort. Everything felt so different in that moment. She decided it'd be best if she ended things with tom as quickly as possible. Sadly, she loved him and still cared for him, but if she was being honest with herself the person she truly loved and wanted to be with was Bruce. It was so taunting to go through all the 'what if' situations, what if Bruce never showed up, what if she just married Tom, what if Bruce never kissed her? But she realized there was absolutely no point in thinking about those things. Bruce was here, and he loved her just as she loved him. Their kiss only reinforced those feelings they had for each other and so the only thing left for her to do now was to end things with Tom before she ended up hurting him. This was the right thing to do, and she kept reminding herself that.

Diana took a deep breath and opened the apartment door. She walked in and found Tom sitting on a stool by the island looking over some files. He looked up and smiled as he walked over to greet her.

"Hey babe, how'd everything go?" He tried to lean in for a kiss, but Diana slightly turned her head to avoid it. He looked at her with a quizzical look on his face. Diana watched as his expression quickly shifted into one of realization.

"You're kidding right?" He questioned incredulously, this wasn't how their talk was supposed to go. Diana pursed her lips as she prepared herself to explain what happened,

"Bruce and I... we have a long history, I didn't tell you because I felt like it was unimportant at the time. But things started to surface and I guess unresolved feelings came back...," she didn't know if she was confronting the situation properly...how does one even handle this type of situation. She examined him, waiting for a reaction but she got none. He just stared at her with a pissed expression.

"I'm sorry Tom... I really did love you, I just can't lie to myself or you about any of this," she felt like she had to keep apologizing to him, she had hurt him and he would always remember her for being that person.

"Honestly Diana, I appreciate you being so truthful about it all. Really," he replied coolly, it caught Diana off guard how well he was handling it when seconds ago he seemed so angry, "I'm glad we could end it like this as opposed to dragging it out and ending up hating each other,"

Diana looked at him, confused as to what was going on. She's glad he's taking it well, but it was just out of nowhere and it felt somewhat cold. But she'd be okay with it as long as he was.

"Thanks for being so understanding Tom, I'm really sorry about all of this," she whispered one last time. He smiled at her and spread his arms out asking for a hug,

"One last hug?" He asked innocently. Diana smiled lightly as she nodded and returned his hug in an effort to end things on a good note between the two of them. As she went into his hug, she felt a strange tug pull at the back of her head. Her vision started blurring as there was a strange yet familiar frost that started to bite her every nerves.

"Tom?" She slurred as she felt the tranquilizer quickly take effect over her senses. Her body went limp in his arms as she blinked slowly looking up into his eyes, confused and angry.

The last thing she remembered before she fell unconscious was him whispering to her, "Hush little baby, don't say a word,"

* * *

Did anyone catch that? Let me know what you think! Till next time~


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay it's been a super busy week. I was also having some trouble deciding what direction I'd like to take with this fic, but I think I have it figured out. To answer the giant looming question mark, Tom is Thomas Elliot AKA Hush!

Thanks again for reading, reviewing, following & faving! 

Enjoy!

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Diana's heart pounded wildly as she tried to figure out exactly where she was. She was knocked unconscious for what felt like hours, her throat was dry and lips were beyond chapped. Her head still felt groggy from the cocktail tranquilizer Tom had put in her system. She had a black bag placed over her head and couldn't figure out where she was or if it was even light or dark outside. How had she not seen this side of Tom until now? Had she been living with a serial killer of some sort? Engaged to him? Diana couldn't help but scoff at the idea...this was definitely something she'd bury in the past. More than embarrassed, she felt afraid at that moment. She didn't know anything about Tom, nonetheless she didn't know what he was capable of. Would she die like this? Because she chose Bruce ov _er_ him, would he really kill her for that? She felt that she had absolutely no regrets on her end. That kiss with Bruce… it was worth dying for. To finally be able to be with him after all they've been through, it was really a dream come true. Unfortunately, there was a chance it would be short lived and the dream would end here and now.

She started to hear murmurs beyond the black fabric, one w as Tom's voice and the other sounded strangely familiar. She concentrated on the voices, trying to get a better idea of who they were and what they were discussing.

"-you really outdid yourself this time Tommy Boy," She heard a raspy and sarcastic voice yell,

"Shut up, I know it wasn't a part of the plan, but this might be even better," Tom's voice was constricted with anger and annoyance. Diana lost focus as she realized that the other voice was Harvey Dent. The two of them were working with one another? What plan were they talking about? Why in the world would Tom and Two Face be working with one another?

"How so? You're gonna murder her and say it was Bruce that did it?" Harvey scoffed. Both of their voices grew louder from their heated argument. Diana counted this as a blessing since she didn't need to strain her ear so much to hear what they were talking about.

"Bruce will come looking for her and we'll kill the both of them when he does," Diana felt shivers run down her spine in both anger and fear that they would hurt Bruce.

"And…?" Harvey asked impatiently,

"And then I'll take over his life, I'll give him a little work and make him look like me and we'll make up some story about the two. Two lovers that were eloping and ended up dead. We can figure out the details later," Tom's voice got closer, meaning he was coming for her. Diana quickly closed her eyes and pretended to still be knocked out from the tranquilizer. She didn't want them knowing that she heard everything they said, "Besides, Gotham's still a shit show, no one would even second guess their deaths,"

"Leave her be for now," Harvey lectured, trying to keep the situation from getting any worse,

Diana felt his presence close to her, she breathed as lightly as possible trying her best not to give herself away. The last thing she needed was for them to really knock her out. Little did she know that, that was the opposite of what Tom wanted. She was suddenly on the floor as Tom backhanded her cheek. Her ears rang from the impact and her whole left side stung from the impact. She let out a pained groan as she tried to adjust herself to her now sideways surroundings.

"Time to wake up," Tom ripped the black back from her head and leaned over to make sure she was awake. She glared back at him with murderous eyes, but was surprised to find his face wrapped up in bandages. All she saw was his mouth, his blue eyes and his now black hair peeking out of his bandages. Diana's eyes shifted from deadly ones to ones of recognition and fear. He was serious...He was going to kill Bruce and take over his life.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," The sociopath chuckled from behind the bandages. Diana's eyes widened as she tried to process that this was the same man she'd been in a relationship with for over a year. How could she have missed these signs? She looked over and saw Harvey standing in the corner of the apartment. He had no expression as he turned his back and walked away. Tom's laughter died away as he grinned at Diana,

"Look, this really wasn't supposed to end up like this. I was just going to kill him and take his place, but for some reason he really wanted you to join his little campaign. And then you just happened to fall for him...which complicated all of this," He walked around the room as he explained himself, "it's nothing personal...actually who am I kidding, you chose him over me. It's very personal,"

Diana didn't blink as she carefully watched him make his way around the room. The man was a ticking time bomb, there was no knowing what he might do next. She knew the main players from Bruce's rogue gallery, but she couldn't figure out exactly who Tom was.

"Your knight in shining armor should be making his way here any moment. I've sent him a little message that you're waiting for him here. The idiot will come here hoping to get laid and bam!" Tom points his index finger at the front door of the apartment, "you can watch him bleed out front and center, it'll be the most graceful thing he's ever done,"

He turned to her with his finger still extended and now pointing at her, "don't worry, you'll follow soon after,"

"You're insane," Diana muttered, she felt a sense of relief, it seemed as though Tom and Harvey didn't know who Bruce was or what he was capable of. They also didn't know who she really was either. That meant they still had a chance, they wouldn't be expecting a certain caped crusader.

"What does it matter what I am, when all you're going to be is dead?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You chose the wrong Bruce,"

"You're nothing like Bruce," She spat at him before quickly jerking her head to grab his ear with her teeth and bit down as hard as she could. She felt her teeth connect with one another as she bit through his cartilage. His screams filled the room as he cried out in pain.

Harvey came running into the room and found Diana still on the floor, but with fresh blood dripping from her lips. Tom was holding his ear with his hands and yelling an obscene amount of curses.

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" Tom yelled as he ran over to her and kicked her in the stomach with all his might. Diana clenched her teeth as the pain took over her entire body. She struggled to breathe as the overwhelming feeling in her abdomen spread to her lungs. Harvey quickly stopped him from kicking her again. He grabbed Tom by the arms and dragged him away as he kept pleading for him to calm down. Diana winced in pain as she watched the ex-lawyer save her from more pain. Harvey shoved Tom into a room and locked the door and told him to calm down. He made his back to the living room and sighed as he helped Diana sit back upright in the chair. He ran his marred hand through his hair as he paced back and forth. Diana could tell he was worried.

"Why are you killing an innocent man? That's a new low even for you Harvey," Diana said weakly, trying to maintain her breathing. She didn't understand why Harvey was working with Tom, what was he hoping to accomplish?

"Bruce Wayne isn't innocent," he stopped moving around as he stood in front of her, "he's ignored the pain and suffering of so many for so long...He's only turned a new leaf recently,"

"So isn't that enough? He's doing what he can now," Diana tried to argue back and show him some reasoning. Harvey's eyes narrowed as he gave some thought to his next answer,

"It's too late. He's not innocent, but he's a good man, so I do feel regretful for all this. But in times like these, we need a scapegoat...a sacrifice," the lawyer was speaking, but with half the conscience of the villain, "he helped me, gave me a vaccine to control… both of me. But that only made me realize something not only about myself, but also about this society,"

He grabbed a seat in the corner and pulled it over as he sat down a few feet in front of her. He was starting to open up to her a bit.

"It doesn't matter how much good there is to counteract the bad, even if there's a sliver of the bad-it makes everything else irrelevant. There will always be evil…"

"So what does that mean?" Diana wasn't sure where he was going with all of this.

"I guess it means two things Ms. Prince… Either we remove all the evil, or we accept it for what it is," he looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, "In this world where superheroes and villains no longer exist...Does that mean vile intentions are nonexistent as well?"

"So either we let it run rampant, or we destroy it all?" She asked incredulously, this man was viewing everything as black or white. There was logic behind his beliefs but that didn't stop it from being crazy.

"Or both," A creepy smile formed on his lips as he turned his eyes to her, "I have much to do, afraid I can't chat much longer, it's been a ple-"

A large explosion from behind her had interrupted their conversation. All she heard was white noise as she saw a look of fear and recognition slowly etch across Harvey's face. It was all in slow motion as she watched him scramble from the floor and tried to run out of the room as fast as he could. Suddenly she felt a quick tug at her wrists and the release of the makeshift bonds they had placed on her. He had come for her.

She quickly got up and caught sight of a black blur headed towards Harvey. Within seconds she heard a crack of a bone and a cry for mercy.

"Get the hell away from me you bastard! I thought you fucking retired!" Harvey yelled as he crawled across the floor with his broken arm trying to grab the gun he had dropped.

"I could say the same to you," Batman said dryly as he kicked the gun away from him and tied Harvey's good arm to the radiator. They heard banging from the room that Tom was in.

"Is that Wayne?!" His yells were muffled by the door, "Harvey, what the hell's going on?!"

Diana saw how rigid Bruce's body had become under his armor. He was pissed. He was beyond pissed. Behind that door was the man who had kidnapped her and lied to her all these months. Behind that door was the man who had played a balancing act with both of their lives. Bruce started making his way towards the door, and for the first time, Diana was afraid of what Bruce was going to do. She was afraid he was going to hurt Tom… that he was going to kill him. She tried to run towards him to stop him from doing what she was afraid he might do, but she was interrupted when someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her away. She quickly turned around, wondering who the assailant was and saw a red helmet, it was Jason. He was attached to the batwing by a cable, and he pulled her up into the vehicle. The last she saw of the scene was Bruce opening the door to face Tom. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she feared that she made Bruce cross a line he vowed to never cross. Maybe Harvey was right… Maybe all you can do is let it manifest and destroy you.

* * *

Gotham -1 Hour Later-

Jason made his way to the main study with a cup of hot tea in his hand. He couldn't decide if Diana preferred tea or coffee at this hour, the sun was starting to rise and the birds started chirping away. Alfred had said he could take care of her, but Jason felt for once that maybe he would be the better conversationalist this time. After all, he could relate to the situation the most out of the rest of the bat clan. He walked through the double doors and found her wrapped up in a blanket looking defeated in Bruce's chair. She was looking up at the portrait of Martha and Thomas Wayne.

"Here you go Diana," he said softly as he placed the cup of tea in front of her on the table. She turned her head the slightest bit and nodded her head lightly, thanking him. She soon turned back to looking at the portrait of the parents of the man she loved.

"You can just tell by looking at them that they were nice people," Jason whispered as he took a seat at the edge of the table and looked up at the portrait as well, "wish I got the chance to meet them,"

Diana smiled as she agreed that it would've been amazing to have met the two of them. She turned her attention to Jason and asked, "He hasn't called in yet?"

She was disappointed when he shook his head and sighed. It had been at least an hour since she was brought to Wayne Manor. Bruce was missing, and she was worried sick. Jason kept telling her that he'll be okay and not to worry. He told her to wash up and to get her wounds looked at, but she couldn't go anywhere without knowing where or how Bruce was.

"He'll be back soon," Jason reassured her, "I know you're worried, but he's Bruce...He'll be fine,"

"Jason, I… I'm worried he did something he'll regret," Diana whispered as she had difficulty getting her words out. Jason felt a tug of pain and guilt, she was worried that Bruce had crossed a line for her. It was a line that he himself had crossed multiple times before, something he wasn't very proud of. But seeing Diana worry about Bruce, made him feel even more regretful of his own doings. She loved him and he loved her, if he did kill Tom-it was because he cared for her. But at the end of the day, Bruce wouldn't be able to justify it, he'd only end up pushing her away.

"I know Diana, but regardless of what he did, he did it because he had to," Jason tried to reason with her, telling her some white lies in hopes that things didn't have to end badly for the two of them. Of all the members of the family, he was the one who related the most to how Bruce was feeling tonight. The anger and fear of having something so precious taken away, it destroys a man's will. Makes them see red, and makes you want to do anything in your power to make sure you never feel that way again. However, he was also hoping that Bruce didn't cross that line. It would mean the end of the Bruce they all knew.

"Don't blame yourself for it," Jason tried to comfort her, but to no avail. She looked so broken at that moment, she was taking it upon herself that she had pushed Bruce into such fear and anger that he would kill somebody because of her.

"Ms. Diana," Alfred's voice rang from the doorway, "Master Bruce is expecting you downstairs in the cave,"

Jason and Diana turned to face the Butler at the same time, they then turned to look at each other before Diana started making her way towards the butler. Jason watched her as she walked away,

"No matter what, don't blame yourself for it," he called out. Diana quickly turned and gave him a half hearted smile before disappearing into the hallway.

"Alfred, you don't have to walk me there," she said politely to the butler, not wanting him to waste his time and energy so early in the morning,

"As you wish," he quietly departed from her and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Diana began her descent to the batcave. Thoughts were flying through her head so quickly it was all a blur. What did Bruce want to talk about? Was he mad at her? Upset? What happened to Harvey? ...Tom? She had so many unanswered questions, all of which would be answered the moment she saw him. The cave was dark except for the glow of the bat computer. She was surprised when she didn't see Bruce sitting in front of the computer. Her eyes searched and trailed the cave as she landed on the last step.

"Bruce?" She called out, unsure of where he was. She felt her anxiety start to get the best of her.

"Here Princess," he voice softly called out from the landing pad of the batwing. She made her way around the corner and gasped when she saw the opening in the ceiling above the landing pad. The entry way for the batwing was opened to view the stars and the sunrise. Bruce was in a black t shirt and grey sweatpants and was laying down on his back as he looked up into the vibrant sky. Diana made her way up to him, gasping in pain as she pulled herself up to the dock. Bruce quickly stood up to help her, he grabbed her hands as she winced in pain from where Tom had kicked her. His eyes were laced with concern as he gently ran his fingers over her bruised ribs.

"I'll be okay," she reassured him, but knew he was pissed when she saw his jaw clench.

"I should've just killed him," He muttered half joking, half serious. Diana's brows raised in curiosity and surprise,

"You didn't?" she asked, her voice giving away how surprised she was

"Of course not," Bruce replied surprised that she would even ask, "I mean I wanted to, but I didn't,"

Diana let out a huge sigh of relief before wincing in pain, "of course you didn't,"

Bruce tilted an eyebrow, confused as to what was going on in the Amazon's beautiful head, "You thought I killed him?"

"Maybe," she teased, still relieved that things didn't escalate in the worst possible way. She wanted to brush off that conversation for now, knowing that she had worried for no reason, "What took you so long to get back?"

Bruce turned to look at the Bat computer, Diana's eyes followed his before looking back at him expecting an answer,

"I've been back, I just needed some time to think,"

Diana felt her heart race, they were about to have that talk again. The whole, 'we can't see each other because my enemies are too dangerous' spiel. She already wanted to roll her eyes already, this was Bruce's go to conversation with her when he was afraid he would lose her. She didn't want to hear it anymore.

"Look, before you get started on this whole, 'we can't be together' nonsense… I just want you to hear out my side of it all," She started,

"Princess-," Bruce tried to stop her but was interrupted himself,

"No, No more of that Princess stuff. You're not my Knight in shining armor or my prince. I'm simply a woman and you're just a man. There's no knowing what will happen to any of us at any moment of any given time," she jabs a finger into his chest as she keeps ranting, "You or I could die tomorrow and there's no way of knowing how or why. That has nothing to do with your enemies or mine. It's just how life is. I was engaged to a psychopath just up until a few hours ago and it's not like you played cupid for us. So don't be all self centered and say all of this happened because of you-because it didn't! I REFUSE to go anywhere Bruce. This is where I want to be, so please by Hera's name, don't push me away again,"

The two of them stood there silently as they waited for the other to say something. Diana anticipated that he would retaliate with some pro-logic bullshit, but he didn't dare open his mouth. He just watched her with an amused expression.

"It's your turn to speak," she told him, feeling slightly embarrassed that she just went off like that.

"You're done?" He asked with a smirk on his face,

"Ye-" her reply was cut short when his hand quickly reached for the back of her head and pulled her in to meet her lips against his. Her eyes fluttered shut as she soaked in the taste of him. She felt him gently wrap his other hand around her waist, careful not to press her wounds. He deepened the kiss and was pleased when he felt her reciprocate his passion. Tongues rolled against one another as they took turns invading and exploring one another. Diana wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer and deeper into their embrace. Everything felt so right and so perfect. Their bodies perfectly aligned with one another as they got closer and closer. They were two pieces of a unique puzzle, they fit so perfectly with one another, it was as though they were meant to be. He broke the kiss as he started to plant light kisses across her face and started making his way to her collar bone. A moan illicitly escaped her perfect lips as she felt his start to gently pull at the sensitive skin underneath her jaw. Her body writhed at the feeling of his lips enticing her sensitive spot. He paused and chuckled when he felt her sigh in anticipation,

"You're not going anywhere Princess," he whispered in her ear, intentionally tantalizing her. He felt her shudder against him, he was finding all these ways to make her weak at the knee and he absolutely loved every bit of it.

"Neither are you Mr. Wayne," she whispered back into his ear and was pleased to find that it affected him just as much as it did her. His hold on her tightened as he breathing started to become more rapid. The two of them slowly pulled their heads away as they looked into one another's eyes.

"You're mine," Bruce whispered as he searched her eyes for any trace of doubt or regret,

"I'm yours," she whispered back to him, her cerulean eyes giving him the answer he sought, "and you're mine,"

"And I'm yours," he softly answered as he pulled her in for another kiss. This time, a much softer one that truly relayed how much she meant to him. The two of them held one another as the first rays of the morning sun started to shine in through the dark crevices of the cave.

* * *

A/N: My next update will be a fluffy one :)!


	9. Chapter 9

As promised, the fluff is here!  
I apologize in advance if you feel the characters are OOC, if I'm to be truthful I based their interactions on some elements of my own relationship which is more on the playful side. It's a lengthy chapter, but I promise it's a good one.

Thanks again for reading, and a special shout out to all of you who take the time to review, follow and fav. Enjoy!

* * *

-Gotham: 1 Week Later-

Diana waited at the corner of the park, just like Bruce had instructed her to do so. It had been a week since all the mayhem erupted in their lives, and they've been doing massive damage control. After spending the rest of their morning after the craziness in the comfort of each other's arms, they had to get back to work. Bruce had safely put away both Tom and Harvey, Tom went to a psych ward for evaluation and Harvey returned to the Asylum. Both of them went with a few bruises and broken bones, but they got what they deserved for the most part. Bruce was reluctant at first to tell her the whole story behind Tom and who he really was, but she coaxed it out of him-telling him she needed the closure. What she got out of it was that Tom's full name was Thomas Elliot and he was a former childhood friend of Bruce's. He was a troubled young man who grew distant after the death of both of their parents. Bruce hadn't heard from him in decades, he had no idea that Thomas was capable of any of this. She understood exactly how Bruce was feeling-that feeling of being blindsided by someone she trusted and loved. She truly did love Tom, but the man she knew was just a mirage-he no longer existed.

There were still so many obstacles for the two of them to face, Bruce was dealing with the Press and fallout of Harvey's redemption. He had everybody fooled, thinking that he was a reformed man. She knew that it had hurt Bruce more than he would ever like to admit, Harvey used to be a good friend of his before he turned into the two-faced crusader. More than anyone else, Bruce had hoped that Harvey could become his righteous old self again. He constructed a formula for him, an injection that would help him become more stabilized. But Bruce could never have known that no matter what, the dark half would always be lurking from behind. She just wished he wouldn't be too hard on himself.

The brighter side of things were finally starting to shine through though, she continued to work at Wayne Enterprises as their in-house counsel. Jack however, was having trouble digesting all the news about Harvey-she was starting to get worried that her former boss was starting to lose himself. Bruce had assured her that he would do what he could to make sure that Jack was as happy and comfortable as possible, but she couldn't help but worry that this acquisition wasn't the best decision for him. Other than that though, things were good. Bruce offered to let her move into the manor, but she felt that it was all too soon-she didn't want to admit it, but she was having trouble coming to terms with how things played out. Flashbacks of her relationship with Tom had kept her up at night-the thought of living with someone for almost a year, not knowing who they were or what they were capable of. She knew of course that Bruce was nothing like that, and she could trust him. But she felt that she needed to attempt to conquer those demons on her own, she didn't want to have to rely on Bruce for anything.

And so, she decided to move into her own apartment. Bruce offered once more to assist her and said he could pay for her apartment, but she gratefully declined. She didn't want to become financially independent on him as well, but he made it hard for her to do that the moment he decided to give her an unannounced and hefty raise. The man was as stubborn as she was, maybe even more so. But she loved him for that and so much more.

"Princess?" His voice lulled her away from her pondering, she turned to see him getting out of a black Maserati. A smile automatically graced her lips as she made her way towards him. The two of them were going away for the weekend, it was going to be a short trip-but a much needed one. To where? Diana had no idea, Bruce just told her to pack light and to bring a swimsuit. A grin graced his lips as he brought her in for a hug and planted a light kiss on her lips. They broke the kiss and he gazed down into her eyes. She felt a flutter in her stomach-she knew how much he loved her just by the way he looked at her. She could only hope he felt the same.

"Do I get any hints?" She asked as he ushered her to the passenger side of the car,

"Nope," He responded, opening the door for her,

"Any guesses?" She looked up at him with hopeful eyes before she stepped into the car and took her seat,

"Nope," He replied again, closing the door and walking over to his side and getting into his car.

"Might as well just put a bag over my head," She pouted and then quickly realized her joke might be ill conceived by him considering it's only been a week since she was literally kidnapped and had a bag over her head, "Too soon?"

"Way too soon," He shot her a look of fake dismay before turning it into a crooked grin, "You'll find out soon enough Princess,"

"Fine," She grumbled as she leaned her head against the window and watched as the streets blurred by. Bruce chuckled silently to himself as he was starting to enjoy her little hissy fits. She really was a Princess afterall.

* * *

-New Jersey Airport: 1 Hour Later-

Bruce parked the car and turned to wake Diana from her nap, but found it impossible hard to disturb her in her sleep. She told him a couple of days ago that she was having trouble sleeping, but she wouldn't delve too deep into the details about it. He could only assume that it was about Thomas and everything he had put her through. And Bruce knew that those things took time to heal, and so he was willing to give her both that and space-but he also couldn't help but worry. Diana was more vulnerable now than ever before, and her moving into Gotham was great because they were much closer to each other now, but Gotham wasn't exactly the friendliest neighborhood. No matter which way he looked at it, Diana was a civilian woman now-there were so many scenarios that could unfold, all of which paralyzed him. He didn't want to be overbearing, but he also found it hard to take a chance-especially with the woman he loved.

A smile found its way across his lips as he heard her start to breathe a bit deeper as she fell further into her sleep. He lifted his hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead lightly. Reaching for his phone in his jacket pocket, he pulled it out and sent a text to their pilot. He quietly removed his jacket and gently laid it on top of her before getting comfortable in his own seat. Their trip could wait till later.

* * *

-1 Hr and 20 Min Later-

Diana tightly squeezed her eyes before slowly opening them, her heavy lids made it a difficult task to wake up. Her head felt heavy as she turned to her left and looked for Bruce, they were still in his car, but it didn't feel like the car was moving. He was concentrating and working on something on his phone. His brows were slightly furrowed as he seemed frustrated with whatever it was he was doing. Her tired eyes formed into half-lidded crescents as she smiled, finding this frustrated side of him somewhat…cute. It felt so weird yet so right to even describe Bruce as cute, but seeing him all serious all day and all night, and then seeing him get frustrated over little things… it was cute.

"What are you working on?" Her voice was slightly husky from her nap. He looked up from his device and arched a perfect eyebrow,

"Of all the fairytales I've heard, I've never heard of the snoring princess until today," he lightly teased and was pleased with himself when he saw her pout in dismay and embarrassment.

"I was exhausted," she tried to defend herself, "What time is it? How long have I been asleep for?"

"It's 3:25 PM and you've been asleep for… almost 2 and a half hours," He replied looking at his watch. Diana jolted up in her seat, how had she been asleep for so long?! She lifted her hand and found Bruce's jacket on top of her, had he put that on her? Why weren't they going anywhere?

"Why didn't you wake me?! Oh gods, I'm so sorry Bruce… I've just been so tired and the car ride was relaxing and…"

"Hey, don't worry-we're running on our own schedule so there's no rush at all," he tried to comfort her, she was stressing out about their weekend getaway, but that was the last thing he wanted. He wanted them to have a nice peaceful weekend where they can finally be alone with one another. And if that meant spending a few hours in the car napping, he was more than happy to oblige.

"I'm sorry, it's just so hard for us to find the time to do these things with our busy schedules and here I am, snoring away," she moped in despair, feeling as though she ruined their little vacation already. Bruce saw that she was being way too hard on herself, so he gently placed his finger under her cheek and tugged so she was looking at him.

"As long as I get to be here with you, nothing else matters. OK?" His steel blue eyes coaxed her into submission, she nodded her head lightly.

"So where are we going?" She handed him his jacket back as she got herself ready to get out of the car and onto their adventure. He grabbed the jacket and looked out the windshield to the private jet that waited for them at the end of the runway.

"Paris,"

* * *

-8 Hours Later-

It hadn't been her first time in Paris, but it was her first time here for something other than business and justice league related matters. She could barely contain her excitement as the jet landed on the runway and they made their way into the limo that waited for them.

They drove through the city of Paris, the streets were dimly lit since it was still dawn. The streets were pretty empty sans the random stragglers and couples taking strolls holding hands together. Diana looked away from the window and turned to watch Bruce as he observed the passing streets and buildings. She slide closer to him and gently laid her head on his shoulder. He smiled as he planted a light kiss on her forehead before leaning his head against hers.

"You must be exhausted," he murmured,

"Actually, I'm wide awake," she replied, the amount of energy in her voice surprised him. She did sleep for most of the flight.

"We should do something then,"

"Let's go swimming," he could hear the excitement in her voice. He just smiled and nodded his head.

The limo pulled to a stop in front of a tall and grand entrance. As Diana got out of the limo with the assistance of the driver, she lifted her head and marveled at how magnificent the hotel was. It was one of the greatest works of architecture she had ever seen, the pillars were carved from marble, and the floors were also marbled but with embossments. She took a second to question how Bruce had managed to afford such a luxurious place, but she realized that he was Bruce Wayne-the billionaire. As much of a woman of luxury she was, she also felt that she should be contributing to their trip. Afterall, it was their weekend getaway as a couple.

"Let's go check in," he gently motioned for her to walk with him through the grand entrance. She followed him as they made their way to the reception counter. Even at the early hours of the morning, the receptionist looked so naturally awake and happy to serve them. Diana noted how the pretty blonde receptionist was eyeing Bruce and admiring him. She tried her best not to let the jealousy get the best of her, besides…at the end of the day he was all hers.

"Bonjour Monsieur, what name is your reservation under?" She asked him, her eyes were completely zoned in on him. She didn't even bother greeting Diana. Bruce noticed Diana become stiff by his side, he instantly became aware that she was becoming jealous of the receptionist and enjoyed it more than he should have. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him so that the receptionist would get the hint, but also so that he could reassure Diana.

" _Our_ reservation is under Bruce Wayne," he made sure to emphasize the 'our'. Diana glanced up at him, slightly embarrassed that he had figured out that she was feeling some type of way. The receptionist looked between the two of them before clearing her throat and looking into the system for their reservation. A few seconds passed before she looked up again and smiled,

"Your Suite is on the Penthouse floor, here are your keys," The blonde handed Bruce a small rectangular folder with two keycards in it and pointed towards a secluded corner of the floor, "The private elevator is located there, thank you and I hope you enjoy your stay Mr. and Mrs. Wayne,"

Bruce tried his best not to smile or laugh, he knew if he looked at Diana he would have the irresistible urge to grin so he refused to look at her. Diana on the other hand couldn't help but bit down on her lower lip as she smiled and slightly blushed at her newfound title as 'Mrs. Wayne'. It was an awkward moment, but one that made her feel so happy inside. Bruce cleared his throat before thanking the receptionist and guiding Diana to the elevator. The two of them waited for the elevator doors to close before they started to burst out in laughter.

"I'm sorry, I know I should've corrected her," Bruce apologized with a light grin on his lips, "But it had a nice ring to it,"

"Well Mr. Wayne, I have to admit Diana Wayne doesn't sound too bad," she smiled as she joked, her eyes still glistening from all the laughter.

"Doesn't sound bad at all," he chuckled as he took a step towards her and looked deeply into her eyes,

"Not one bit," she bit her lower lip as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer. Their breath started to intermingle as their eyelids lowered and focused on the perfectly shaped lips of the other. Bruce placed his hands on either side of her waist and held her to him, their lips were centimeters apart, anticipating the other to make the first move. The two of them waited there, fire dancing across every surface where they were connected, their lips yearning for one another. Diana instinctively licked her lips and then bit down on her lower lip once more before taking a deep breath. Bruce clenched his jaw, trying to control his own desire-seeing her bite her lip like that drove him mad, all he wanted to do was take her right then and there-but he knew he had to be patient and understanding. She was hurt and he wanted her to create her own comfortable pace. All of his worries were erased however when she took a quick gasp before plunging herself into him, her lips crashed into his as she beckoned for him to meet her passion and desires with his own. He quickly abided and held her tightly against him as he replied to her pleas for intimacy. His tongue teased her lips and were soon allowed passage as she opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss. She moaned against him as he continued to tantalize her, his hands found their way into her hair as he pulled on her dark strands gently, coaxing her and causing her to whimper in delight. She broke the kiss and tilted her head back sighing deeply as he pulled on her hair a little harder. Bruce took the opportunity to journey to her slender neck and planted butterfly kisses across her smooth porcelain skin. He knew she loved it when he did that by the way she pulled him closer to her chest. He grinned mischievously as he tightly secured his lips on her sensitive spot right below the corner of her jaw and sucked at it. She elicited a much louder and intense moan from her as he continued to tease her in that spot. She began to claw at his back, trying to bring him closer to her. He felt her start to crumble in his arms, and wrapped his arms around her to support her. Their moment was short lived as the elevator dinged and they finally arrived on the penthouse floor.

Bruce chuckled as he pulled away from her, a playful grin was dancing across his lips as he drank in the sight of a flustered and rosy cheeked Diana barely able to catch her breathe. All they did was kiss, and things were already this heated and passionate-he could hardly keep himself from thinking about what the rest of it would be like. She let out a deep sigh as she gathered herself and walked out of the elevator and into their suite. Her breath was taken away again as she absorbed her surroundings-the suite was massive and absolutely stunning. The room was cut off into sections; there was a living room area with sofas, a fully loaded bar at one corner of the room with a giant screen to its side, a beautiful kitchen with an island, and what appeared to be doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms. Diana slowly turned to face Bruce with her eyebrows raised in shock. Before she could say anything, Bruce grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the bar where he opened the glass door hidden behind the curtains and led her outside. As soon as she was outside he turned to her with a giant grin on his face,

"You said you wanted to go for a swim?" He tilted his head to the side and gestured towards the infinity pool that covered more than half of the balcony outside. Diana gasped as she was completely taken aback by the breathtaking sight of Paris that was within their view. The sunrise had spread its fingers over the city, giving it a magnificent glow. She could see clearly see the Eiffel Tower along with the rest of the city below them. No matter how many times she flew over the city, or any city in general-they never managed to look as beautiful as the city of love had looked right in that very moment. She turned back to Bruce to thank him, but he had other plans. She let out a scream of surprise as she was suddenly immersed in the chilly water of the pool. Her mouth was wide open in shock as she turned to glare at Bruce who had a crooked grin and looked all too proud of himself for what he did to her.

"Did…Did you just push me in?!" She asked him still in shock, pushing her wet strands away from her face, "You have 10 seconds to get in the water Mr. Wayne,"

Bruce feigned fear as she started her countdown. She was pretending to look pissed as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"8...7…6" She continued her count, "I'm serious Bruce, if you don't get your sorry ass in here, I will,"

He chuckled, "Alright, give me a sec,"

He started to take off his shoes and worked on getting his shirt off when Diana suddenly leaped up from the water and pulled at the back of his thighs, forcing him into the water with her. He quickly pulled his shirt off as he landed into the pool with a giant splash. He lifted his head out of the water with a gasp for air and used both of his hands to slick back his black hair. Diana's angelic laughter filled the air as she tried to make her escape and swam towards the exit of the pool. Bruce quickly noticed her plan and caught up to her.

"That's what you get," she splashed water in his face, still trying to escape from retribution for what she did to him. Her laughter filled his heart, he found it so contagious-all he wanted to do was hear her laugh. He told himself that he would do anything and everything to hear her laugh like that.

"Where do you think you're going Princess?" He grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her to him before she could escape. He securely wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her back into him, his chest met her back as she quickly settled down and leaned into him. The laughter faded and the joyous smiles turned into alluring ones as Diana tilted her head to look up at Bruce.

"Nowhere Mr. Wayne," she breathed as her eyes fell onto his lips, focusing on what she wanted. He saw the flames engulf her eyes and he started to lose control over his own desires. He slowly closed his eyes as he leaned in and gently met her lips with his own. Every time they kissed, a new connection was formed, it was magically every time. Years and years of pent up frustration, lust, anger, and love were finally being answered with the kiss. This time, they both felt their hearts twist in pain. The pain for all that they've been through both together and individually, and also pain that they felt for holding themselves away from one another for this long. The pain was a precursor to the feelings of love and endearment, it needed to be felt so that it may finally leave them for good. There was no longer any room for those feelings of being tortured any longer-instead, there was only the capacity for them to love one another. Their kiss grew more intense as they finally felt them losing themselves to one another. They could finally accept and learn to love one another with open arms, nothing holding them back. The two of them moaned into each other's mouths as they deepened the kiss. Diana broke the kiss and slowly turned herself around so that she was facing him. She placed a hand on his bare chest as her other hand found its way to his jaw. His deep blue eyes focused on hers as she tilted her head slightly to the side with a soft smile.

"I love you Bruce," She said lightly, but with assurance. Her eyes formed into crescents as she smiled from the bottom of her heart, she was so happy to finally be able to tell him that. It felt as though she had waited her whole life to finally confess her true feelings to him. He returned her smile with a genuine one of his own.

"And I love you Diana," he felt the release from his heart-the words he craved to say to her were finally said. He knew that she was the one for him, she had always been the one. He was previously too stubborn to admit it, but he needed her as much as she needed him. They were meant to be. They leaned into one another as they sealed their silent vows to love one another with a kiss. They didn't break the kiss as Bruce placed an arm under her legs and the other under her back as he lifted her from the pool with ease. He carried her through the glass doors and to towards the master bedroom where he gently laid her onto the soft cushions of the bed. They broke their chain of passionate kisses as Bruce reached for the hem of her wet shirt and gently pulled it up and off of her. She gasped as the cold air started to nip at her wet skin. Bruce quickly leaned down and started to leave a trail of kisses across her chest and taut abdomen, the head of his body and lips warmed her up until she was no longer shivering. His trail led him to her lower abdomen when he looked up and locked eyes with her, asking for her silent permission. Her half lidded eyes filled with desire were more than enough for him to know that this was what she wanted as well. His fingers nimbly unbuttoned her shorts and he slid them down her slender and smooth legs. He continued to leave his trails of butterfly kisses along her legs now, advancing his way past her thighs, above her breasts and back to her face where his gentle kiss on her lips turned into a more sensual one. She sighed as she began to feel herself lose her mind to their passion, her eyes were closed as she focused on the image of the man that she loved; and when she opened them-he was still there, his fierce yet caring eyes reassuring her that he was real. He was the embodiment of power, desire, admiration and love-the perfect man for her. They were finally together, and for once in her life she felt the clarity that she had found the place she belonged. This was where she was meant to be…with the man she loved with all her heart-her soulmate. Their eyes locked onto one another, their hearts and souls ablaze with their love for one another. Tonight, they found themselves in Paris, the city of love; tomorrow, they would find themselves in Gotham, the city they love.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Hope it was worth the wait!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for the long pause, work got crazy. The story continues! This will be a short update with more to follow. Thanks for keeping up!

* * *

-Gotham-

Bruce sat in his office chair rubbing his temples deep in thought. The past few weeks with Diana had been wonderful, they were finally together and there was nothing in the world that would tear them apart. But he couldn't help but feel that there was something more going on. The whole matter with Harvey and Tommy had been resolved way too quickly. Maybe it was because they didn't know Batman would interfere, but even then… something felt off.

He decided it be best if he called Diana and asked for her opinion on the matter. They haven't spoken about the incident for a while since it had affected her so personally, but he felt it be best if they took cautious measures from now on.

"Amber, could you call Diana Prince to my office?" He pushed a button on his phone to ring his secretary. She quickly replied with a yes as she dialed Diana.

Bruce tapped his pen against the padding of his fingers as he trailed off into his thoughts once more. Was Tommy's plan really just cold hearted revenge? If so, it made sense for him to just kill Bruce off. But he also wanted to take over his life. On top of that, how was Harvey involved in all this? The ex-prosecutor had no doubt fooled him, though Bruce never gave him his full trust. He thought that Harvey was really reformed and a man of his word. Thankfully Diana was there to help him figure out their plans, but she had to endure so much. It hurt him to know that she had to go through all that she did. The man she was ready to dedicate her life to ended up being a psychopath. That had to mess with someone's head in more ways than one.

"Bruce?" Her soft voice lulled him away from his thoughts, "You asked to see me?"

He looked up and soaked in the image of her dressed in a black pencil skirt and silky white V-necked top. Her work attire was modest and chic, but he still found her to be ridiculous attractive and sexy in her business outfits. Her dark waves were worn up in a bun and her beautiful blue eyes framed behind black thick framed glasses. He found it entertaining that noone would recognize her as Wonder Woman when she dressed like this. He, however, would be able to spot her from a mile away. The moment she stepped into a room, regardless of what she wore or looked like, he would know it was her. Both his eyes and his heart were constantly looking for her.

She started walking towards his desk with a quizzical look on her face. He looked happy to see her, but he also looked more stressed than usual.

"Bruce, is everything okay?" She sat on the edge of his desk in front of him and gently caressed his cheek with her slender fingers.

A smile formed on his lips as she melted away all his worries and for a moment the only thing he was concentrating on was her. He reached his hand up and covered hers. Pulling her hand away from his cheek, he brought it to his lips and planted a soft kiss on her palm. This brought a sweet smile to her lips as she leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"Now It is," he whispered as their lips departed from one another, "How's work been for you?"

"It's been great, Jack's also enjoying himself so everything's been amazing," she tilted her head slightly, a worried expression growing on her features, "what's wrong?"

Bruce didn't waver his gaze from hers. He really didn't want to trouble her with these issues, especially considering how close she was to it. But he needed assurance and someone to bounce off his ideas and feelings with. Their relationship was always one he could rely on for things such as this. She was someone he could depend on, and he couldn't have that change now that they were in a relationship.

"Harvey and Tommy, they've been on my mind… this whole matter resolved itself too quickly and easily. Thing's just don't seem right," he kept his eyes locked onto hers, waiting for any reaction that might signal that she was uncomfortable with their conversation. But her eyes remained focused and determined, only proving to him once again that this was the perfect woman for him. She waited patiently for him to continue.

"I've kept tabs on the both of them ever since they were admitted to Arkham, but they're too compliant. I can't help but think there's something else going on…"

"I agree," Her words caught him off guard, he wasn't expecting her to simply concur with his own opinion on the matter.

"Call it a feeling or whatever you must, but something's definitely off and I think we should be careful from here on out," she placed her hand on his, reassuring him that she understood how he felt, "we'll look out for one another,"

Bruce nodded his head, "We most definitely will. I'll have Dick look into it as well. See what crowds each of them ran with and their contact history,"

"Let me know if there's anything you need me to do," she offered,

"Thanks Princess, I'll keep you updated," he leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead, "we should grab dinner sometime,"

"Wayne Enterprises sponsored event?" she smiled as she cracked the joke,

"Perhaps," he grinned back as he pulled her in for a tight hug. She willingly fell into his embrace and sighed deeply as she took in the short but sweet moment.

"7PM tonight?" he asked

"Sounds good to me Mr. Wayne," she placed a light kiss on his neck as she pulled away from him. She gave him a quick wink and sly smile before walking towards the doors and making her exit.

Bruce watched as the door closed behind her. He sighed as he looked over at the pile of work that sat on top of his desk. It'll seem like forever before the clock hit 7.

* * *

-New York City-

Dick and Barbara were sitting at a cafe in Manhattan. They were both studying for their own things, Dick was reviewing his material for the Bludhaven PD exam while Barbara was studying for her PhD in information sciences. Bruce had convinced the both of them to pursue their own careers and dreams. Crime was falling and they had a lot more time on their hands. But they knew that a certain princess had a lot more influence over his sudden supportive behavior.

Dick's phone vibrated on the table next to him, he quickly reached over and picked it up.

"Bruce? What's up?" He asked into the phone, curious as to why his mentor was calling him in the middle of the day.

"Are you alone?" Bruce asked quietly. Dick looked over at his girlfriend who was curiously watching him.

"I'm with Babs, what's going on?"

"I need another favor from you," his voice sounded a bit discerned and this worried the young ward,

"Sure anything you need," Dick replied, and he meant it. Although his relationship with his mentor was always a bit rocky, Bruce was family and he would drop everything and anything for him in a time of need.

"Can you visit Tommy's apartment?" Bruce asked. Dick raises an eyebrow curiously, Bruce was always one who preferred to visit the sites on his own to conduct his own analysis. Why wasn't he insisting on doing this one on his own?

Bruce noticed the silence from the other end of the phone and decided he'd just fill in the blanks for him, "They lived together,"

Dick opened his mouth as he silently gave an 'Oh' as he pieced it all together. Barbara gave him a funny look as she tried to comprehend what was going on in their conversation.

"Yeah uh...sure, of course Bruce… I gotcha,"

"Thanks, keep me updated," Bruce hung up the phone, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had to ask for a favor like that. But it felt wrong for him to intrude on the previous living quarters of his current lovers. He trusted Dick to be as thorough as possible with his investigation.

Dick just placed his phone back on the table and stared blankly at it.

"Everything okay with Bruce?" Barbara asked as she placed her hand over his phone, trying to grab his attention.

"Yeah… I mean...uh- I think so?"

"What's that mean?" Barbara giggled at how speechless her boyfriend was at that moment,

"I guess there's just a lot of things I need to get used to," Dick shrugged with a grin, "this Bruce and Diana thing… I guess it's the real deal,"

Barbara laughed before smiling and replying, "I think it's always been,"

* * *

-New York City 7:08PM-

Bruce stood with his hands in his jacket pocket. He was waiting outside the italian restaurant for Diana so that they could walk in together, but she was running late. He started to get worried that something was up, it was unlike her to be running late. She hadn't given him a phone call or anything to let him know either. He tried to calm his worried self by reassuring himself that maybe she was underground on the subway and it was just taking her awhile. But the negative feelings kept swelling up in the pit of his stomach.

He lifted his arm to check his watch for the time, it's been almost 15 minutes since their promised meeting time and yet she was nowhere to be found. He was about to call in Dick and Jason and ask them to search the facial recognition database for any sights of her within the past half hour. As soon as he lifted his phone to call in, he spotted her walking towards him from a block away. He sighed in relief as he quickly made his way towards her.

"Jesus Diana, I was so worried that something might've happened to you," he muttered as he reached out to give her a hug.

"Oh God Bruce, I'm terribly sorry… I forgot to charge my phone," She stepped into his embrace when suddenly she felt two fingers pressed up firmly against the pressure point by her jugular. She gasped for air as it became harder for her to breathe.

"Who are you?" Bruce murderously demanded into her ear as he guided them into a less visible area of the street, "Where's Diana?"

"Babe, you're hurting me! I'm right here, it's ME!" She cried out as Bruce dug his fingers deeper into her throat. He glared at what appeared to be Diana, his grip on her didn't waver as he remained confident that this was an imposter. From the way she talked to the way she smelled, this wasn't his Diana and he was 100% sure of it.

"Where is she!" he felt his anger rise to uncontrollable levels, he needed to know that she was safe and he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure she was. He felt his hands start to tremble as his rage built up, whoever this person was-he was going to ruin them if they didn't start speaking up soon.

"Well this was a dud," a murky male voice replaced Diana's. Bruce quickly recognized the voice and leapt backwards, away from the imposter. The facade of Diana quickly melted away and instead was replaced by one of the more notorious rogues in his gallery-Clayface.

Thousands of thoughts and questions ran through Bruce's mind as he tried to comprehend how Clayface was standing in front of him, magical clay dna capability and all. Dr Fate's barrier should've dissolved his powers, and yet here he was. How though?

Bruce's train of thought was cut short as he narrowly dodged a punch from the villain. He kept in mind that he shouldn't use his full strength otherwise he might tip him off that he's not simply who he seems to be.

"Look buddy, can you just make this a little easier for rusty ol' me," Basil mumbled as he threw another punch at Bruce, who narrowly dodged it once more.

"How do you have powers?" Bruce shouted as he tried to lead Clayface down an alleyway and away from the eyes of pedestrians. The last thing he wanted was people to freak out and be all over the news.

"Long story, but you don't have to worry about it. Doc wants you dead anyways," the heavy mass of clay started to stomp towards Bruce,

"Doc? What Doc? What'd you do to Diana?!" Bruce yelled trying to get some answers out of him. He finally had him where nobody could see them.

"Your girl? She's fine, the Doc will take good care of her. You on the other hand, you're in for some trouble buddy," he slowly raised his arms as he prepared to smash them down onto the billionaire, "Any last words?"

"Yeah, eat shit," A voice yelled out from behind him right before a hissing sound filled the air. Clayface turned around too slowly to even try to counter the cryofreeze bullet that was shot into the back of his shoulder. He cursed unintelligibly as the cryofreeze took over his body and immobilized him.

Bruce looked up at the top edge of the building and found Jason to be standing exactly where he expected him to be. He had called earlier and asked him to scout around the area just to be sure in case something was going on. He was right in doing so. His mentee jumped from the roof and skillfully landed in front of him. Jason's glowing white eyes emanated from his red mask as he looked Bruce up and down for any damages.

"How do you think tall, smelly and grimy over here got his powers back?" Jason asked pointing his thumb back at Clayface.

"I'm not sure, but we have to find out," Bruce muttered, "But first I have to find Diana,"

"I think I have a lead on where she might be," Jason turned around as the two of them started to walk deeper down the alleyway, he could tell his mentor was on edge-he was absolutely livid; and he understood that feeling. If someone took Donna away from him like this, he wouldn't be able to control himself. There would be no standing in his way, he would do anything and everything to make sure he had her back in his arms. He knew that this was an understatement for Bruce-the man would sacrifice his own being for her.

"Take me," Bruce muttered murderously as he pressed a few buttons on his watch to select a gps point for the batwing to drop off his batsuit. Jason slowed his walk as he recognized this feeling, this feeling of emptiness and need for revenge. He saw it in himself once and now he saw it in his mentor. He finally saw what others had seen in him-this blood-fueled rage that seemed unquenchable...It was building up in Bruce. Jason saw the beginnings of a man who was on a hunt and would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted and needed. And it terrified him that he saw it in Bruce.

Bruce felt a firm hand rest on his shoulder, he turned his head slightly to acknowledge Jason. His younger ward used his other hand to push a button on his helmet, revealing his face to Bruce-his vivid blue eyes bearing deep into Bruce's own.

"She'll be okay Bruce," Jason spoke evenly and confidently, "I promise,"

Bruce narrowed his eyes as he turned just in time for his batsuit pod to drop a few meters in front of him, "She better be,"

* * *

A/N: Sorry again for the short update, I'll be back soon with a new one :)!


	11. Chapter 11

Hi All, sorry again for the long pause between updates. I've been writing the story on my commutes to work but I haven't had the time to actually put it together and revise it, so I promise I'm still working on it! Lots of suspense, action and angst in this one. Enjoy :)!

* * *

Manhattan - Lower East Side

Dick utilized a small tool to unlock the window of the apartment. He was making his way through the side entrance of the kitchen. Quietly, he started to snoop around the apartment looking for any hints or clues as to what kind of person Tommy really was. He needed to find out who he might have been working with and if he had any further intentions of bringing harm to Bruce and those around him.

The apartment was spacious and neat, he would never had assumed Diana lived her. She always seemed the type to have some random clutter laying around, something to warm up the place. But everything was clean and perfect- almost too perfect. He couldn't help but find it a bit strange that an apartment that was searched by the police would remain this intact.

He figured his best chance was to quickly survey the apartment and get back to Bruce as soon as possible. He wasn't sure what was going on, but something was definitely up.

He walked around the corner to what he thought was the way to the bedroom. He pulled out his mini flashlight and turned on the night vision on the lenses of his mask, the light from the outside city didn't reach far enough into the halls. He cautiously opened the bedroom door and was met with a foul odor. He pulled his forearm up to his nose to prevent the stench of rotting flesh from seeping any further into his nostrils.

Dick suddenly felt a presence behind him and quickly turned to face it, but when he turned, he found nothing in his sights. He slowly turned back, waiting for the presence to reappear, but he couldn't find it. What was it?

His lenses picked up on something that was on the bed a few feet in front of him. He couldn't make out what it was, so he decided to take a few steps closer to it. He felt the fine hairs on his body rise as the adrenaline pumped through his body. What was going on here?

As he approached the body, his eyes widened as he recognized what it was that was on the bed-or rather who. Draped in scarlet red sheets was the marred and broken figure of Barbara. Her eyes were blank as they stared up at absolutely nothing at all. His heart pounded uncontrollably, threatening to break out of his chest. She wasn't breathing, there were no signs of life left in her. The tears broke their barriers and started streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks. He knelt by her motionless body, grunting and choking on his own tears.

"Barbara…" he whimpered as he caressed her cold face, "oh God, why…"

"Ah, so that's the name," a hoarse voice whispered from behind Dick. His eyes opened wide as he realized he was in trouble. He quickly reached for his baton at the small of his back, but his hands grabbed at empty air. Turning to face his adversary, he was met with a swift smack to the face by his own baton. He collapsed onto the floor, barely conscious from the impact. Blood spilled from his temple and seeped into his mouth. The taste of iron and the salt from his tears were the only things keeping him awake.

Dick felt the cold metal of his baton pushed up against his temple. He grunted in pain as they dug the weapon deeper into his skin. His eyes searched in the dark for clues as to who it was, his lenses were starting to malfunction.

"Look," the voice called out to him again, "there she is… There's _Barbara_ ,"

Her name slithered out of his mouth. Dick looked for her lifeless body, he would rather kill himself than let someone hurt her even more. But as he searched for her corpse, instead he found her sitting across the room. Her face in her hands, knees to her chest as she cried and sobbed about something. His eyes covered in blood, were in shock from the sight. Barbara was lying dead on the bed a few minutes ago, how was she there crying now? The silhouette of her started to fade into the darkness, she was no longer there.

"Fear is intoxicating…" the voice murmured once more, "makes you see things you don't want to…"

Dick felt the voice loom over him, they were getting closer. He started to put all the pieces together. He knew who he was dealing with.

"...Makes you say things you don't mean to…"

The fear gripped him. He feared that he just exposed the love of his life to a world full of dangers. He needed to warn her and the others. Needed to tell them that Scarecrow was back in town.

Bruce and Jason quickly navigated their way over the roofs of Gotham City, they were in a rush to get to the pier. Jason had told Bruce that a thug he had come across earlier than night had tipped him off that something was going down by the piers where Bane reigned. It was hunch, but one that they were hoping was the right one. Diana's life was on the line and Bruce needed to get to her as soon as possible.

Jason was a few feet behind Bruce as they leapt between buildings, he couldn't help but feel so powerless in that moment. Seeing Bruce so riled up and furious was eye-opening for him. He knew the man had a temper problem, but this was something different. He was worried that Bruce wasn't seeing clearly, that all this rage had consumed him. The possibility of Diana being hurt-or worse-killed was fueling him to become a madman. And Jason understood that more than anybody else, but he didn't want Bruce to lose himself. Not in the same way he did.

Bruce suddenly came to a stop at the edge of the building, Jason soon followed and stopped right next to him. The building was one of the last ones before they hit the piers. Bruce surveyed the area with this tactical goggles and searched for any possible threats. Strangely, there were none.

"No security? Something's definitely up," Jason muttered as he propped his leg up on the ledge and leaned on it. He changed the setting on his binoculars to search for any heat signatures, but came up with none. The warehouse itself appeared to be have some sort of block on it that prevented him from peering into it.

"Let's split up, I'll take the east end, you take the west. We'll meet on the second floor by the middle. Radio silence unless it's an emergency," Without waiting for confirmation from his younger ward, Bruce jumped off the edge of the building and grappled to another.

"Sure why not," Jason grumbled, rolling his eyes at how pushy Bruce could be. He soon followed suit and jumped to the next building, making his way to the west entrance. He could only pray that Bruce still had some self control and that he wouldn't take matters into his own hands. He was genuinely worried he might kill someone tonight.

* * *

-Gotham City: 15 Minutes Later-

Bruce quietly slipped into the warehouse through the open ventilation box towards the top of the building. He crouched and made his way around the ventilation system before coming across a grate that opened downwards toward the ground floor. Before jumping down, he searched for any signs of hostiles but there appeared to be none. He slid through the grate and opened his cape to soften his landing on the concrete floor.

It was too quiet. The entire warehouse was nearly pitch black, thankfully his lenses had a combination of thermal, night and sonar vision which allowed him to practically see everything in the dark. He slightly regretted not gathering more intel before entering the warehouse, but he needed to make sure Diana was ok. His jaw clenched involuntarily at the thought of Diana in danger. She was powerless now, and although she could take care of herself just fine, he couldn't help but think that this was all happening because of him.

He navigated through the warehouse and came across a door, there was a faint light seeping through the small opening between the door and the floor. His goggles couldn't see past the door, but he could hear some faint noises from behind it. It sounded like footsteps and some whispering.

Bruce looked around for some other sort of entry way, but he couldn't find any. The ventilation system ended before the door. For some reason, this room appeared to be cut off from everything else. It was almost like a safehouse of some sort. Why would Bane install a safehouse inside of a warehouse?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud slap and then a grunt of pain-it was Diana. His blood boiled as he envisioned what could possibly be happening to her. His fists were ready to pulverize whatever threat awaited him beyond the door. If it weren't for the fat chance that Diana might be held at gunpoint, he would've busted through the doors right at that very moment. He took a second to try and calm himself down, he wasn't thinking clearly. He was putting Diana's life at risk if he decided to do something rash.

"Bruce," Jason's voice rang through the communicator, "There's no way into the safehouse other than that door,"

Bruce looked at his synchronized GPS to see where Jason was located. He appeared to be standing on top of th _e_ building, directly above the safe house. He sighed as he tried to play out all the possibilities, but it was impossible, they had no idea what was going on past thos _e_ walls.

"What should we do?" Jason asked, his voice remained un-wavered, but Bruce could tell the younger man was also worried. They didn't know who or what they were facing up against.

"Let's draw them out. We just need an opening," Bruce pulled out a small object from his utility belt. It was a contraption the size of a fingernail. He pushed a button to turn it on and the object sent out a high pitch frequency that the human ear wouldn't be able to pick up. The frequency flooded the room and the feedback was picked up by Bruce's lenses, allowing him to see the details of the room.

Jason swiftly jumped from the ventilation grate above and landed quietly next to Bruce. He pulled out his guns and put enhanced silencers on them. He noticed how Bruce stiffened up at the sight of his weapons.

"Don't worry, they're dart bullets-they'll only paralyze them," He reassured him, "Besides if one of us were to kill someone today my bets on you,"

Bruce just glared at him in return, the white slits of the lenses on his cowl narrowing down on the young man. Jason chuckled lowly.

"Pull them when they come out, I'll cut the lights and then we'll move in," Bruce instructed. He received a nod from Jason as he acknowledged the plan.

Bruce placed the small device by the side of the door. The device wouldn't slip in the space between the door and the floor so he had to think of something else. He backed up into the corner and wait for Jason to create a diversion.

Jason took a deep breath as he readied himself, he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of his boss and his lady. He glanced over at Bruce and gave him the OK signal with his fingers. The Dark Knight gave him a nod. Jason took another deep breath and reminded himself not to mess this up. He then walked over to the nearest shelf which had boxes lined up on it. He picked the box that looked the heaviest...and pushed it off the shelf. The box fell down with a large thump and dust flew around everywhere.

Jason listened quietly for a reaction from behind the door, but there appeared to be none. He quickly glanced over at Bruce whose white slits were even narrower than before. He wanted to murder him so badly, he could tell. But what better diversion than stuff randomly falling off some shelves? Jason placed his hand on the next box in line. He saw Bruce's lenses narrow even more, almost to the point that they were nonexistent. Finding it somewhat entertaining, Jason shoved the box off with a quick flick of his wrist. This time the box tumbled over and a flood of glass shattering noises filled the room.

"Whoops," Jason whispered. He heard voices start to stir in the room and he quickly made his way deeper into the shadows and prepared himself.

Bruce inwardly groaned at the childishness of his younger ward.

The door opened slightly and a nozzle of a gun peered through the opening. The hostiles were being apprehensive, they knew that there was a big chance that Batman was out there lurking.

"Can't we just stay in the saferoom?" A deep voice asked hesitantly,

"It's not exactly safe in the saferoom either, and besides, with these new suits we should be fine," another voice replied quietly. The two of them appeared to have mustered up the courage to exit the room. The heavy door swung open and two large bodies stepped out of the room.

Bruce focused his attention on the small device he placed by the door. As he had planned, one of the goons stepped on it and pushed it back into the safe room when they stepped out. It took a few seconds for the frequency to fill the room and send feedback to his lenses. But soon he had a clear visual on what the room looked like. As he scanned the room for strategic points, he duly noted that the two hostiles from before were wearing some sort of suit. He trusted that Jason would know how to handle them once they made their way to the distraction point.

Bruce quickly memorized the layout of the floor and noticed how there appeared to be 7 figures still in the room. One of them seemed as though they were laying down on the floor. His heartbeat quickened as he realized that was most likely Diana. The frequency wasn't strong enough to pick up on whether she was breathing or not, but it didn't seem like she was moving at that moment. He prayed to whatever God there was that she was still alive. He needed her to be.

A light thudding noise came from his right side and he looked over to see Jason handling the two thugs with some difficulty. He wasn't using his guns. Bruce realized quickly that Jason was using darts, which would prove useless against their armor. Regardless, he knew Jason would be able to handle it. If he really needed help, he would call for backup.

Bruce pinpointed the main light source inside the room and used his remote batarang to break the bulbs. Gasps and yells from surprise were heard from inside, and Bruce took this chance to make his way into the room. He was covered by the dark as he grappled his way towards the ceiling where he could get an aerial view of the room.

"Shit, shit, we're gonna die," one of the henchmen cried out. Bruce's thermal lenses were picking up the heat signatures of the bodies in the room. However only 3 of them were emitting heat. The other 4 weren't being picked up, but they were showing movement. Bruce put together that they must be drones or robots. He decided to make quick work with them. He readied his EMP disks and positioned himself at a vantage point above the 4 drones.

He threw the tiny disks in a formation so that they'd surround the machines. The blast went off immediately after they landed, immobilizing the drones. Bruce quickly turned his attention towards the other 3, one of them was still laying on the floor motionless. The other two were scrambling around, it was too dark for them to look for escape. They knew the inevitable was coming for them.

Bruce jumped down from his vantage point and opened his cape to help him steer towards one of the thugs. His cape silently caught the air as he was pulled down unnoticed. As he narrowed down on his target he pulled his cape in and streamlined his body. The thug let out half a grunt before Bruce muffled his cry of pain with a swift push of a pressure point to his neck, rendering him unconscious. He knew his window of opportunity was starting to narrow, he had to get Diana ASAP.

His lenses picked up the location of the last enemy who was blindly trying to make his way back towards Diana. Bruce needed to get to her before he could try and use her as a hostage.

With both great ferocity and silent dexterity, Bruce zoned in on his target. He was intent on ending this right here and now. The flutter of his cape was inaudible and the sound of his steps lighter than dust settling to the ground. And yet the thug had known that Batman was a mere yard away from him. He cried out and begged for him to stop.

The white slits of Batman's cowl widened in surprise before narrowing quickly in recognition.

"I don't wanna die," the man cried out in fear. "I didn't know it was going to be like this I-I swear,"

Bruce just stood there glaring at a familiar face. A man he once thought he knew, but one he wanted to break at that very moment. The man who Diana had once trusted and loved as though he was her own father. It was Jack.

"It's too late," Batman growled, he could barely keep his anger and betrayal to himself. He wanted to rip the man's heart out for hurting Diana like this.

"I loved her like my own daughter… I just… I just lost my head for a little bit," Jack stuttered, his voice shaky and soft. Jack started to kneel down towards Diana. Bruce's body stiffened up, Diana was unconscious. He was close enough to see her chest rise and fall as she breathed evenly.

"I'm so sorry Diana, I didn't mean for any of this to happen," Jack whimpered as he started to choke up. Bruce took a quiet step towards Jack and Diana, hoping he could safely pull away the mentally unstable man from her.

"Stay back," The older man warned the cape crusader. Bruce heard the venom in his voice.

"Step away from her," Bruce growled back as he stood in place not wanting to try the crazy man.

"I wouldn't dare hurt her. All I wanted was to feel fulfilled. To fill the void in my life...," Jack whispered, "Diana was… She was like a daughter to me,"

"Then check yourself into a ward, the damage is already done," Bruce tried to convince him, "Don't make this any worse for you… and her,"

"None of this would've happened if it wasn't for that arrogant bastard," Jack's voice coiled with spite, "If Bruce Wayne hadn't tried to get us involved, none of this would've happened,"

Bruce clenched his jaw as he took in the older man's words. It's true, if he hadn't been so intent on bringing in Diana, all of this might not have happened to her. He was constantly putting her in harm's way.

"You should be punishing HIM, not me, not her, not Harvey and especially not Tommy!" Jack spun and glared at Batman, his eyes were wild with fury, "This. THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT!"

Bruce lowered his chin, suddenly his bat suit felt heavy. The burdens growing on him steadily as he took in the estranged man's words. He didn't know when Jack allied with Tommy and Harvey, but these feelings and his motive had to have been something that simmered below the surface for a while. Bruce was too preoccupied with other matters to see it all happening. All the time Jack spent in the Wayne Labs and not actually doing his assigned work, the notable discouragement. All the signs were there, he just didn't bother looking into it.

"Jack," Bruce said sternly, his voice staying in his Batman persona, but his heart hoping to be able to reach out to the man one last time. He took a step towards him but stopped immediately when the older man pulled out a knife from his pocket and placed it on Diana's neck.

"Who's Jack?" Bruce couldn't see his face anymore but he could hear a menacing smile in his voice.

"Put the knife down Jack," Bruce's voice was stern as he readied to disarm the older man.

"Jack doesn't exist anymore Batman," he snarled as he slowly turned his head to glare at the vigilante, "It's Toymaster now,"

Realizing Jack was too far gone, Bruce reached into his utility belt to grab some knockout gas. But he paused when he heard Jack click his tongue.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, "Diana is quite literally living life on the edge,"

Bruce watched in horror as the deranged gentleman pulled the knife towards him and there was a thin trail of blood streaming from Diana's throat. He started to see red, he felt himself losing his grip-his control.

"If anything happens to me, then your faithful sidekick will lose his life," Jack threatened. Bruce's eyes widened behind the lenses of his mask as he realized what Toymaster was implying. He turned his head and looked for any traces of Jason but he was nowhere to be found or heard. His heart was racing faster than ever as he realized he put himself in a compromising situation.

"Not that one," Jack laughed at Batman's confusion, "Your other one,"

Bruce turned back to him as he realized he was talking about Dick.

"Where is he?" Bruce demanded. His fists shaking from the anger and fear he felt.

"He's fine for now, you have more pressing concerns on your hand for now,"

"What is it you want?" Bruce decided to try and level with the madman.

"I just want to feel… fulfilled," Jack shrugged his shoulders, "Anyways, my new toys will take care of you while I do some work,"

Bruce's cowl picked up noises coming from behind him. He turned and saw the drones he took out earlier come back to life. They started walking towards him. Bruce noticed the Waynetech emblem on some of their parts. Jack had been doing all of this right under his nose. He was using his resources to create these drones and to hurt Diana.

"Don't do this Jack," Bruce tried once more to reason with him.

"As I said before, you will refer to me as Toymaster," he brushed off Bruce's plea, "Please don't struggle. Otherwise I'll have to kill Diana and we both don't want that to happen,"

Bruce tried to think of a solution but nothing came to mind. He was cornered, there were too many lives at risk. All he could hope was that Jason was okay and he'd come around to save them. The drones grabbed his arms and pulled roughly, causing him to arch his back towards them.

"Now then," Jack cleared his throat as he put down the knife and reached into his pocket, "I never had a problem with you Batman, if anything I admired what you did,"

Bruce grunted as the drones pulled tighter on his arms. He watched carefully as Jack drew what appeared to be a needle from his pocket.

"But there's someone I admire more…" He took lifted the syringe and admired the neon green liquid inside, "Superman...All that power and strength. I want it all,"

Bruce realized what the liquid in the syringe was. It was the serum that somehow allowed these villians to have their powers back. But Jack didn't have any powers, so what was he going to do with that?

"Thanks to Dr. Strange, this serum will allow me to get powers of my own," Jack explained as he pulled off the cap of the syringe, "It's supposed to reveal dormant powers. What do you think my power will be Batman?"

The madman turned to Bruce as he tilted the needle towards the inner bend of his arm. Bruce watched intently as Jack was about to give himself the serum. There was no knowing what would happen to him. Hugo Strange was a brilliant man, but he was known to be ruthless as well. Whatever he promised Jack, it could all be a lie or a scheme of his.

"Jack it's not worth it, don't do it," Bruce called out, "You don't know what's in it, there's no telling what'll happen to you,"

"What else is left for me in this world Batman? If I give up now you'll just take me in and I'll rot in a cell!" Jack became more agitated by the second, "I'm willing to take the risk,"

"You might die,"

"So be it," Jack pulled the needle up into the air before swinging it down towards his arm. But instead of the needle piercing his arm, it pierced another's.

Bruce and Jack looked over at Diana in shock as they realized she intercepted the needle with her own arm. Her pained expression only grew worse as the serum started to spread through her veins.

"D-Diana!" Jack screamed, realizing what he just did, "Why...Why would you do that?! YOU COULD DIE!"

Bruce felt himself snap, he was on the verge of losing her. The only light in his world. He saw red, his blood boiled with rage as every bone in his body ached for redemption. The drones tightened their grip on his arms, but he pulled even harder against them. The main was excruciating, but he needed to get to Diana no matter what.

Bruce let out a loud growl as he pulled himself away from the drones. A loud crack filled the entire safe house. Bruce had intentionally popped his shoulder out of it's socket so he could turn and kick one of the drones off of him. He ripped the head off the drone with a swift kick. The other drone was still holding onto his good arm.

Bruce glanced over quickly and saw Jack trying to wake Diana, but she was unresponsive. Her face was pale and her lips turning blue.

He felt his eyes turn wild as he abandoned his self-control. With all his strength, he started running towards her, the drone still holding his arm. The drone held its ground as it pulled tightly on Bruce's arm. But as soon as Bruce felt the drone lose its footing, he pivoted himself and turned back to the drone. Going bad shoulder first, he rammed into the drone, popping his shoulder back into place. The drone flew backwards. As it tried to recover from the blow, there was a rapid high pitch beeping. The drone looked downwards towards its chest and noticed a small device that was planted on it. As it reached up to grab the device, it suddenly exploded. The drone immediately powered down in defeat.

Without taking a second to rest, Bruce quickly sprinted over to Diana. He ripped Jack away from her and threw him back. The old man grunted in pain as he looked up and watched the vigilante gather up Diana in his arms.

"Diana… I'm so sorry… I-I didn't mean to…" Jack started sobbing uncontrollably, "I didn't mean for this to happen,"

"Enough," Bruce growled as he lifted Diana in his arms,

"Batman, I-I really didn't mean for any of this," he pleaded for him the understand,

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Bruce yelled. As he examined her face for any signs as to what was happening to her body, he felt tears pushing at the back of his eyes. He was losing her, and he couldn't bear the thought of it.

"What happened?! Is she okay?!" Jason ran into the room, his suit riddled with scuff marks and openings. It took him longer than anticipated to deal with the two goons because of their suits.

"I'm going back, take care of him," Bruce swiftly walked past the two men, "He knows where Nightwing is. Find out where,"

Bruce quickly grappled up to the ceiling and called the Batwing to his location. Jason turned back to Jack who sat trembling on the floor.

"Just so you know...You deserve what's coming for you," Jason muttered, "Don't say I didn't warn you,"

* * *

Thanks for reading, until next time! :)!


	12. Chapter 12

Hi guys, back with another one! Hope you guys like it, only a few more chapters to go. Enjoy~

* * *

\- Batcave -

"Alfred!" Bruce called out. He gathered an unconscious Diana into his arms and jumped out of the Batwing. He quickly carried her to the med bay and laid her out on the examination table. He heard the running footsteps of his butler from behind him. Bruce took off his mask, and Alfred saw for the first time in a long time-a hopeless man.

Without speaking a word, the two of them quickly got to work and hooked her up to check her vitals. They made fast work with the medical supplies. Alfred pulled some blood from her and ran to the bat computer to run some tests, while Bruce remained with her.

He kneeled by her and gently took her hand into his.

"Don't do this Diana," he whispered to her, pleading her to come back to him, "I can't lose you too,"

His eyes stung as he fought back the tears. He watched her pained expression as he hoped to God that she would wake any moment. But in the back of his head he knew it was futile.

"I love you too much," he whispered as he planted a kiss on her fingers, "not like this Diana, you can't leave me like this,"

Bruce's eyes softened as he felt the urge to tear his heart out and scream. All of the fears he had faced head on all these years were collapsing onto him in that very moment. All the fighting, the pushing and loneliness that he had burdened, it meant nothing right now. He was no longer Batman, he was just a man who was holding on so desperately to the love of his life. He never wanted to feel this pain ever again, not after his parents, no after losing Jason once, not after all that he had been through. He wasn't sure if he could live through this if Diana didn't. He needed her, just as much as she needed him right now.

He felt a calm wash over him as he realized what he needs to do. Placing her hand back by her side, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead as he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Bruce took a moment to take in the image of her laying there, pained and teetering between life and death. The image of her in that state drove him, it would remind him of what he needed to do.

"Master Wayne, where are you heading? I haven't treated your wounds yet," Alfred asked as he watched him head back to the batwing.

"I'm paying the good Doctor a visit," he muttered before taking off in the plane. Alfred turned back to look at Diana. Today was a day of reckoning.

* * *

Gotham -30 Minutes Later-

"Bruce, I've got Dick. He's gonna be okay," Jason announced through the comlink.

"Make sure he's cleansed of all the toxins," Bruce answered. He was standing on the roof of the building across the one that Hugo Strange was in. He was able to track him down easily thanks to Jack's beginner mistakes.

"On it already. Where are you? I'll come help you,"

"No need, I've got this under control," Bruce replied back cooly. He didn't want Jason to get involved in any of this. This was his fault. Diana, Dick, Jack, Tommy… it was all his doing and he was going to do everything he could to make it right.

"Bruce you can't keep shutting us out," Dick's voice weakly called through his comlink, "We know you well enough to know you're blaming yourself for all this. But it's not your fault...Let us help,"

"Just make sure she wakes up," Bruce instructed before turning off his comlink and turning his attention back to the mission at hand. He searched for any signs of movement in the apartment. The curtain by the window shifted slightly here and there but he couldn't tell if it was a draft or due to someone's movement.

He pulled out his grapple as he readied himself to charge into Strange's apartment. There's a huge possibility this might be a trap, but it was a risk he needed to take for Diana. If there was a cure for the serum, Hugo Strange would have it.

Batcave – 10 Minutes Later-

Jason paced back and forth while Alfred treated Dick's head wound in the medical bay. He felt uneasy and frustrated that Bruce was out there alone.

"You're gonna burn a hole in the ground," Dick muttered.

"Yeah, hopefully deep enough to dig Bruce in if he doesn't come back alive!" Jason yelled in frustration, "He's so infuriatingly stubborn,"

"I know, but if anybody can get what he wants, it's Bruce,"

"Right because he wanted this to happen to Diana," Jason sarcastically muttered as he shrugged his shoulder towards Diana's direction where she laid unconscious on a hospital bed,

"You know what I meant…" Dick grunted as Alfred tightened the bandaging on his head,

"I just hate that he put us through all this training and then just decides he wants to do things solo," Jason grumbled, taking a seat by the batcomputer.

"With good reasoning,"

"How much good has that done him?" Jason threw his hand in the air in frustration, "I just want him to retire already, all this angst and shit is getting to me,"

"I can tell, you're starting to white," Dick chuckled, throwing an obvious joke at the spot of white hair on Jason's head.

"Real classy," Jason spat back as he raked his fingers through his hair. After the lazarus pit, parts of his hair had gone permanently white. He hated it at first, but Donna said she liked it because it gave him some personality to his appearance.

"Any word on Barbara?" Dick changed the topic, his voice was more concerned now. Scarecrow had used his toxin on him and he let her name slip. The last thing any superhero wanted was for their loved ones to get caught in the crossfire. He knew he could trust Tim and Damian to take care of her, but he wouldn't rest until he knew she was okay.

"Yeah, they've got their eyes on her, she's with Commissioner Gordon," Jason replied.

"Good," Dick let out a sigh of relief. He wanted to make sure they kept her under surveillance. Scarecrow had gotten away before Jason came, but he'd surely surface again sometime soon. Crane was an impatient man.

"Best get some rest Master Grayson," Alfred started to pack his med kit in an orderly manner.

"Not a chance Alfred, lot's of work to be done," Dick hopped off the table and walked towards the batcomputer.

"Perhaps you don't need to be related to pass down stubbornness to the next of kin," The butler quipped.

"What was that Alfred?" Dick called from behind the computer,

"I'll ready the tea," Alfred dodged the question as he made his way to the elevator that led to the main floor of the manor.

Jason stifled a laugh as he walked over to where Dick sat. He watched silently as Dick went through the archives searching for something that would help explain what was going on with Diana. Things weren't adding up, it seemed like there were a lot more players in the game than they originally thought. It started off with Tommy and Harvey, and now they were suddenly facing Hugo Strange, Toymaster and Scarecrow. How did they let an operation this big slip through their fingers?

"I'm worried about Bruce," Dick muttered as he continued typing away at the keyboard. Jason raised an eyebrow, he was somewhat glad that Dick agreed with him about that. But at the end of the day, Huge Strange and Scarecrow were out there somewhere and the best person for the job was Bruce.

"Yeah, but he'll get through this," Jason placed a hand on Dick's shoulder, reassuring him that their mentor and father would make it back to them, "she will too,"

Dick turned to glance over at Diana who laid on the bed. All he heard was the steady beep of the monitors and her ragged breathing. She was stable for now, but there was still a long road ahead for her recovery. They didn't know what was going on inside of her, what the serum contained or what it would do to her. They could only hope that Bruce would be able to get some information from Strange before it was too late.

"Yeah," Dick nodded in agreement, they both needed to be okay.

* * *

-Gotham-

Bruce pressed his body against the wall to hide his presence. The apartment was huge but barren. There was no sign of someone living there, no furniture or warmth whatsoever. He scanned the area for any clues as to what was going on, but there was nothing there. Did Strange clear out his apartment? How long ago? He needed answers and he was becoming impatient trying to find them.

He quietly but quickly made his way around the apartment searching for any hints as to where Hugo Strange might've went. The listening enhancers of his cowl picked up a faint sound coming from down the hall. He stopped in his steps to turn towards the sound. It sounded like weak breathing. He glared intently at the closed door of the closet from which the sound was coming from. The chances of it being a trap were ridiculously high but Bruce needed answers ASAP. He was desperate to save Diana. Knowing it wouldn't be his wisest decision, he stomped over to the closet and swung open the door.

The lenses of his cowl widened as he came to realize who it was that behind the door. It was Bane, his limbs were but the size of Bruce's wrists, and you could see the bones almost protruding out of his skin due to the lack of flesh. The once massive man was reduced to nothing but a skeleton. From under his mask, the frail man looked up into the eyes of Batman. His dull eyes begging for mercy and for all of his suffering to end. Bane tried to say something, but his words were lost in his lack of strength. Realizing he wouldn't be able to reach the ears of Batman, he slowly lifted his hand which had a neatly folded letter.

Bruce carefully reached out to take the note from him, inwardly cringing at how much Bane had struggled to even lift his arm. What had happened to him? It literally looked as though he was sucked dry of his life-force.

Unfolding the note, he quickly read what was written in black ink across the piece of paper.

 _Dearest Batman,_

 _The world as you know it is coming to an end._

 _Sincerely,_

 _HS_

Bruce's jaw clenched tightly, he was too late. Strange knew he would be coming here, he was a step ahead of him. But why would Bane be here? Of all people, why would Strange leave him in this state?

He looked back at Bane, he was barely able to support himself, let alone breathe.

"What happened to you?" Batman asked, his voice serious but not as menacing as it usually was, "Why did Hugo Strange leave you like this?"

The weak man just looked back at him blankly. Bruce started to feel his anger simmer below the surface, there was no time for this. Diana's life was on the line.

"Why are you here?!" Bruce crouched down towards the man, he knew he was starting to get to him. He may be weak but that didn't mean he would pity him, "Where's Hugo Strange?!"

Bane lifted a shaky finger to his mouth and opened it slightly. Bruce gritted his teeth as he tried to understand what he was doing. Bane curled his fingers around the edge of his mouth and pulled slightly, in order to help himself open his mouth wider.

Bruce narrowed his eyes as he came to understand why Bane wasn't saying anything to him. It's because he couldn't. His tongue was cut out.

He took a step back as he tried to think of what he should do now. This one was useless in terms of information, all he knew was that Strange knew that he was coming for him. This was all planned out, everything. Bruce was falling for all of his tricks, running right into everything. He needed to think harder, how can he catch up to Strange?

Bane started to mumble something, he couldn't make out what he was saying but the former cartel leader was making small motions with his hands. He tapped his forearm and made the motion of an injection. Bruce stayed silent as he tried to decipher it. Bane continued to make more motions, he made an impression of glasses on his face and then made another motion that looked like he was injecting something into his arm. Bruce lowered his chin as he tried to fill in as much of the blanks as possible.

"The serum...it's from you?" Bruce asked. Suddenly a rapid beeping flooded the room. Bruce stood up and searched around for where it was coming from, but it was coming from all around him. Had he triggered some sort of alarm when he said the word 'serum'? The place was rigged and he had no idea. He cursed himself for being such a fool and jumping into things without thinking ahead.

He looked back down at Bane whose eyes were wide with the realization of his current situation. He told Batman something important, but it was all a game. Strange wanted him to tell him. He wanted all of this to happen. The sick bastard had used him up as a resource like some animal and was now playing him as a pawn in this game with Batman.

Bruce acted quickly and reached down to grab Bane so they could flee together. But as he reached down the grab the man, he noticed a collar on his neck that he didn't see earlier. There was a red dot that was blinking in sync with the beeping. Bane had a bomb attached to his neck. Without a second thought, Bruce reached down and tried to remove it, but it was tightly secured around his neck. There was a small wire that wrapped around the inside of the collar, so that if he tried to rip it off, it would detonate.

The beeping got faster and Bruce closed his eyes as he tried to think of what he could possibly do in that situation to help save Bane. He was a villain, but he was also a victim. Bruce made a vow to protect anyone and everyone in this city, no matter what the cost. Bane was no exception to this.

He pulled out every tool he could find useful in his utility belt and tried to figure a way to use it to remove the collar. He tried to ignore to quickening sound of the beeping and mustered all his focus into saving Bane.

He felt a weak hand push on his gloved hand. Bruce looked up from the collar and saw the pleading and agonizing eyes of a man who had given up. Bane pushed once more on Bruce's hand, motioning for him to leave him. He didn't have the strength to push him away completely, but he hoped that the caped crusader would see it in his eyes that he accepted his fate.

Bruce refused, knowing that there had to be a failsafe for a bomb like this. There had to be something. He let go of the collar and quickly ran around the room searching for something, anything that would stop the bomb. He felt himself getting frustrated and angry, there needed to be something he could do.

His eyes roamed the room, trying to create possibilities and equations as fast as his genius mind could muster. His eyes caught one tile of the ceiling that had what appeared to be small finger markings on it. The dust covered it unevenly and it appeared to have been touched recently. He quickly walked under it and pulled it down using his grapple.

Bingo. There was a device hanging where the tile was a few seconds ago. Bruce scrutinized the device looking for a way to disarm it, when he realized the numbers displayed in it were far too low. The number 2 bore into his eyes as it shifted to 1. Everything suddenly slowed down as he turned to look at Bane who sat on the floor a few feet away from him. The once menacing man looked back at him with eyes filled with grief before he closed them and accepted his fate.

Bruce yelled for him to take cover and ran towards him, but he was violently thrown backwards. His lungs filled with smoke and fire as his blue eyes turned red from the reflection of the explosion. The image of a broken man he couldn't save forever engrained into the very core of his being-just like all the other ones. And with them, would be Diana.

* * *

"BRUCE!" Diana jolted up screaming, her voice hoarse from her exhaustion. Her blue eyes were wide with terror and confusion. She turned to the direction of which she heard footsteps running towards her. None of them were Bruce, she knew it.

"Diana? You're okay!" Donna ran to her sister and gave her a tight hug, "gods, I was so worried,"

"Holy shit," Jason said out loud, "It really worked,"

"What worked?" Diana asked, her voice filled with worry, she didn't know what was going on.

"My prayer to the gods, sister," Donna smiled as tears formed in her eyes, "They said you would be okay,"

Diana tried to smile back to her sister, but found it hard to. She felt a void in her heart, for some reason she felt as though she lost something she'd never get back.

"Where's Bruce?" She asked,

"We're not sure," Dick answered, his arms crossed over his chest, "He cut off his comms looking for Hugo Strange,"

Diana closed her eyes as she tried to process everything. Of course he would stubbornly just go and do his own thing, making everyone worry in the process.

"Where was he last seen?" She asked as she tried to get off the bed. But Donna kept her there by placing a hand on her shoulder. Donna turned to look over shoulder to give Jason and Dick a glance. The two young men nodded their heads slightly in understanding before turning on their heels to give the two women some privacy. Diana felt the tension and looked down at her sister who still had her hand on her shoulder.

"Donna, what's going on?" she asked worriedly.

"Diana there's something we need to talk about," her sister started,

"Can it wait till later? Bruce might be in danger,"

"I think its best we discuss it now," Donna couldn't look into Diana's eyes, she knew it was something bad.

* * *

A/N:

There you have it! Let me know what you think, I love to hear your thoughts and opinions :)!

Until next time~


	13. Chapter 13

Hi all! Sorry for the wait, I promise this chapter was worth it. Only a couple more chapters to go and this story will be wrapping up. As always, thanks for reading :)! 

* * *

Bruce reached out his hand to her, beckoning for her to come closer to him. She simply smiled at him, mischief looming in her eyes as she turned away from him. He propped himself up on his elbow and watched amusingly from their bed as Diana slid away. Her long and silken legs exposed in her nightgown and enticed him to go after her, but he felt comfort in lying there and watching her.

As she got up from her bed, she turned and smiled brightly at him before turning to walk towards the french doors. The tall elegant doors were framed with white silk curtains that flowed with the gentle wind that came in through the open doors.

"Where do you think you're running off to Princess?" Bruce called out, his voice was tired from his slumber. Instead of giving him a verbal reply, Diana just tilted her head and looked at him with a playful smile dancing on her lips. She reached out with one of my slender fingers and grabbed a curtain. She looked down as she watched herself wrap the curtain around her abdomen and to her back. Her blues found his as she watched for his reaction, the smile on her face faint.

Bruce's eyes left hers as he followed the trail of the curtain to where her hands lay on her stomach. Her hands protectively framed her abdomen area. His eyes widened in realization, his body moved on it's own as he lifted himself from the bed and made his way over to her. Her smile, bright as ever, was confirmation of his suspicions. He looked back down to where their legacy now laid and he reached his hand up to place it on her stomach. But as soon as his fingers touched the silk, he heard Diana's scream.

Frantic and shocked, Bruce watched as the woman he loved scream in agonizing pain as she clutched her stomach. He wasn't sure what was happening, this had to be a dream-or rather a nightmare of some sort. Why was this happening?

She cried his name as she continued to hold her stomach. Bruce helplessly watched as suddenly the white fabric wrapped around her, suddenly turned into flame. He couldn't do anything, he knew it was a dream and he just needed to wake himself but the pain he felt as Diana screamed and cried in agony was so real. He closed his eyes and willed himself to wake up. He finally had what felt like the beginnings of a happy dream, but like all the dreams he had since he was 8 years old- this one only proved to be a nightmare.

"Bruce!" Her voice pierced through as he woke from his nightmare gasping for air. His startled eyes aligned with her worry strickened ones. Realizing he finally gained consciousness she pulled him closer to her chest and cradled him. Her body shuddered as she held back the urge to burst into tears.

Bruce could barely make out anything past her dark raven curls, but from the dim reddish lighting and the sound, he determined he was in the batwing. He was safe, and so was she. The throbbing pain he felt all around his body was bearable.

"Princess? What're you doing here?" His voice was scratched up and barely audible, the smoke from the fire must've damaged his throat. _The fire…_ Images of the blast flew through his head, the sudden overload of memories hitting him hard and leaving him unable to speak. Bane had died in that blast, there was no way he could've made it out alive. Especially not in the condition Strange had left him.

"Bruce?! What's wrong?" Diana's voice frantically tried to pull him back to her, but his eyes greyed out as he became lost in the the previous events.

"I couldn't save him…I let him die," he whispered. Diana could hear the pain and regret in his quiet voice, as stoic as he usually was-Bruce was no stranger to loss and the feeling of helplessness. She drew him back into her arms and kissed him softly on his forehead. Her fingers gently ran through his soft black hair, reassuring him that she was there for him and that things would be okay. She didn't bother trying to comfort him with words, knowing that he would be able to push aside everything she said. Right now, he just needed to know that she was there for him.

Bruce clenched his eyes shut as he tried to block out the images of Bane being engulfed by flames. His eyes accepting of his fate, but his body begging for salvation. He wouldn't run away from the memories, instead he would use them to fuel himself into finding Hugo Strange and bringing justice. But for right now, he just wanted to block it all out and just savor the fact that Diana was safe.

He soon fell back to sleep, but he knew he'd have to wake soon to face his never ending trials.

* * *

Wayne Manor: 8:23 AM

Bruce groaned as he woke up, his eyes felt heavy and his body protested in pain. He reached up to remove the oxygen mask from face, his throat was parched and he needed water. As he leaned over to grab water from his bedside drawer he noticed familiar raven black hair splayed out by his side. Diana's face barely peeked out from below her mass of waves, but she had fallen asleep sitting next to his bed. She looked so peaceful, it brought a small smile to his lips. What he would give to make sure she slept that peacefully every night.

Diana crinkled her nose and brought up a finger to rub it ever so slightly. Her eyes slowly opened, taking time to adjust to the natural light that flooded the room.

"Good Morning Princess," Bruce murmured, grinning as she looked up at him, a small smile dancing on her perfect lips.

"Good Morning Mister Wayne," her voice was husky from her slumber, sending chills down Bruce's neck. He could definitely get used to that in the mornings.

"Why don't you come join me on the bed?" He scooted over to the side to make some room for her. She complied and climbed into the bed and under the sheets. She took a bit of adjusting, but finally found her spot under his arm as she laid her head against his chest, placed her hand on his abdomen and wrapped her leg around his. His grin grew even bigger, he loved how perfect it felt when the two of them molded together like that.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice still sluggish from her sleep.

"Better now," he whispered into her hair before gently kissing her on the top of her head. His answer received a soft chuckle from her.

"Anything I can do to make it even better?" She teased as she started to lightly trace invisible shapes and figures on his abs,

"mmm, I might know a few things," he laughed before grabbing her drawing hand into his and intertwining them, "Thought I was going to lose you Diana,"

She waited a few seconds before replying back, "I thought the same,"

"I can't lose you," Bruce murmured, his voice was soft but the meaning behind his words were bold.

"I know Bruce, me too," she lifted her head to look into his eyes, "There's something I need to tell you,"

He tried not to change his own expression, but the pained one she had painted on her face had him worried.

"This serum thing… We weren't sure what would happen to my body or anyone else's for that matter," she started, her voice became shaky, "I was thinking maybe I'd get my powers back since it gives powers to those who never had them… but it didn't,"

"So you didn't gain them back?" Bruce asked, the detective in him was dying to know what this serum actually was,

"No, but it was going to kill me Bruce… I was supposed to die," Bruce quickly sat up as he tried to gather her into his arms to comfort her, but she lifted a hand to stop him, "Aphrodite visited me while I laid there dying, she told me that Donna prayed for the gods to save me. And they agreed to under one condition,"

Bruce felt his heart pound, nothing good ever came from her god's dealings. There was always a sacrifice to be made or some sort of catch to it. However, he waited patiently for her to finish.

"They asked that I sacrifice what I desired most, and that was for me to love you Bruce," Her eyes started to flood with emotions, and she couldn't hold it back any longer. The tears broke through her barriers and started rolling down her cheeks, "I told them I couldn't. That I would rather die than lose what I felt for you,"

Bruce clenched his jaw as he realized what she had been put through. He couldn't help but feel so worthless of this woman's love. She was willing to die rather than live without loving him. He was willing to do the same, but felt he was unworthy of her in every way. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her softly on the nose. Beckoning for her not to hurt anymore, praying to all the gods that they stop her from hurting.

"You're so stubborn aren't you?" Bruce whispered before taking her lips to his in a sweet and reassuring kiss, "but you're here now Princess, and from what I can tell, you still love me the same,"

He was hoping the hurt in her eyes would have vanquished by then, but he was wrong. There was more to the story, of course there was.

"They refused to let me die, so instead they took away the other two things I wanted most," she wanted to look away from him, but knew she shouldn't. She had to face him and show him that she was going to be strong for the both of them. His greyish blue eyes bore into her soft blue ones as he waited for her to finish.

"What did they take Diana?" His voice was even yet pleading for her to tell him.

"They took away my powers forever, and…" she began, her voice trailing off as she worried that he would not be accepting of the sacrifices she was forced to make.

"And?" he asked, however it didn't matter the answer. Whatever she had lost to stay alive was more than worth it. Even if she sacrificed her love for him, he would be more than willing to live his live in unrequited love as long as she was alive and breathing. He would still love her no matter what, there was nothing that could change that.

"They took away my future with you," she whispered quietly and uneasily, "I can't have children,"

Bruce watched as the hurt she endured finally overwhelmed her and the tears bursted at the seam of her eyes. She was distraught and he understood why. The two of them had only been together for a few months now, but they both knew that this was it. Nothing would ever come close to what they had, it was something in their souls that bonded them together. It took what felt like ages to finally bring them together, but nothing would tear them apart.

Of course the thought of one day raising children with Diana had crossed his mind more than once. He would have loved to have a daughter that had the same spirit and beauty of Diana. But none of that would matter if Diana had been lost to him. There would have been no chance of having kids if she wasn't alive-no chance of loving someone as much as he did her. All of that was irrelevant, what mattered to him was that she was there and he would do anything and everything to make sure it stayed that way.

"I'm so sorry Bruce, I kno-" he cut her apology short as he crushed his lips against hers. Both his fiery towards the gods for breaking her like this and his overwhelming desire to express to her how much he loves her no matter what happens. He felt her tears run down her cheeks and onto his own skin, he wanted to stop it all-no more pain and sacrifice. He just wanted to give her everything to make this all go away.

She cupped his hands on both sides of her face and squeezed them tightly. Her lips trembling as she tried to hold back her tears long enough to tell him she's sorry and that she loves him. Bruce slowly pulled away, and rested his forehead on hers. They both looked down at each others lips, afraid to find what they see in each others eyes. One burned with a blue flame that sought out vengeance for what has happened, and the other glowed with an oblivion of which there only existed pain.

"Bruce, I understand if this is difficult and you want to end things here… I understand," her lips continued to tremble as her words betrayed her. She didn't want it to end, she loved him more than anything.

"Diana," he called her, his voice begging for her to look into his eyes. Once she complied and looked into his she found something other than the fury she was expecting. Instead, she found understanding and acceptance. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably.

"Diana, I love you," he murmured sweetly to her, "There's no future without you Princess,"

Bruce leaned in to kiss her now smiling lips. This time, it was slow, sweet and full of promises. His lips trailed away and follow her path of tears as he kissed them all away. This was the side of him she had come to love most, the one where he puts all his fears and worries aside and the two of them simply become a man and a woman who had found happiness and love in each other.

She lifted her finger between their faces and playfully tapped the tip of his perfectly shaped nose. He opened his eyes in surprise,

"I love you too Bruce," she whispered to him before gently planting a kiss on the spot where she tapped his nose. This earned her a smile from him, one that filled the void in her heart and made all her worries about their future shy away.

Suddenly, she felt the bed shift from under her legs and next thing she knew, she was laying with her back on the bed. Bruce positioned himself over her, the tips of his hair tickling her forehead. He had a mischievous look on his face as he quickly moved his lips to the spot on her neck right below her chin. She stifled a giggle as he kissed her there, his hair tickling her skin and making it near impossible not to squirm.

"You're making this awfully hard Princess," Bruce muttered, his lips grazing her neck with every word he spoke. Diana shot up a hand to her lips to try and stop herself from laughing out loud.

"I'm just sensitive there, you're making it impossible not to laugh," her voice cracked as she kept trying to hold her laughter back.

Instead of replying, Bruce decided to toy with her a little more. He trailed butterfly kisses from the start of her collarbone and up to below the edge of her jawbone. Her giggles soon turned into gasps. He couldn't wipe the smirk off his face.

"Gotcha," he whispered before he attacked the sensitive spot with a passionate kiss. This enticed an immediate moan from her as she opened her mouth and gasped for air. She quickly reached up and grabbed for his back with both her arms, pulling him closer to her. He continued to suck and gently nip at her skin, causing her to arch her back in an attempt to get closer to his body. Her moans only teased and egged him on for more. He growled when her lips leaned into his ear and she sharply inhaled, causing shivers down his back.

Pleased with his response, Diana did it once more; a cheeky smile presented on her lips as she felt him pause in response,

"Gotcha," she teased him back. His intense arctic blue eyes found hers, the passion behind them stole her breath and suddenly her body ached with an even greater passion.

Bruce saw the aura of her bright eyes change as they dimmed while the lust behind them intensified. He lost himself in her gaze, the purity of her feelings and love for him evident more than ever in that moment. He loved her beyond words, the only place he felt could ever possibly describe their passion for one another was within the infinity in her eyes. The time lost between them, he promised he would do everything he could to make it back. He would cherish every moment he had with her, even if an eternity felt too short.

Without letting the words escape their lips, they could hear each other reciting their love for one another over and over again. They felt it in their hearts, body and soul-they were meant to be and in that moment-all was perfect.

Bruce gently wrapped his hands around each of her wrists and slowly lifted her arms. Her eyes follow his as she anticipated his next move. Carefully, he placed her hands down above her head and kept them there as he leaned down and kissed her.

Diana became intoxicated by his kisses, the sweet and savory taste of his lips lingering on hers. She tried to lift her hands to try and hold him to her, but they were still trapped under his. She yearned to feel his skin on the tips of her fingers, craved for the soft touch of his hair as she raked her hand through it.

Bruce could tell she was getting frustrated by her lack of freedom to use her hands, but it only made him want to hold her down longer. There was something adorable about the way she wriggled and pouted when she didn't get her way. She was the bravest and strongest warrior he knew, but she was still a princess at heart. And he loved that about her.

He deepened his kiss and gently coaxed her by biting her lips. She complied and soon the two of them became lost in a dance of passion and desire.

"You're mine," he whispered possessively,

"I'm yours," she replied, equally possessive over the love of her life,

"I'm yours," he smiled as he leaned in for a gentle kiss,

"You're mine," she answered him with a loving smile of her own.

* * *

A/N: How'd you like it? Let me know your thoughts! Till next time~


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